With All My Heart
by Pearlinprocess
Summary: Historically-themed AU. Technically a crossover, but focuses on the "Sofia the First" side of the story, specifically Cedric the Sorcerer. Eventually Cedfia, among other ships - Don't like, don't read. Hope you enjoy and please review if you do!
1. That Which Warms the Frozen Heart

(( Author's Note, PLEASE READ: I just happened to notice a short while ago that one of the background characters in Frozen, an old woman who goes to Hans for a cloak at about 49:40 in the movie, looks EXACTLY like Cedric, whilst his own parents don't look very much like him at all. ( Here's a pic for reference: post/97658556071/im-so-convinced-this-woman-is-cedrics )This fic is a 'what if' - What if Cedric was adopted, and that woman from Arendelle was his biological mother?

ALSO, -please- note- I am aware that it has been stated that in canon, Cedric is in his late thirties. I cannot abide by that, personally, with the future Cedfia pairing, and there's all kinds of other changes to canon too. So, this fic is strictly an AU, and in it, Cedric is only a twenty-something when he and Sofia meet, rather than 30-something in canon, and all the future Princess Elena canon to come is out the window entirely.

Hope you enjoy, and if so, please review! ))

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It had not been a secret for very long between Cedric and his parents that he was adopted. It was no secret to anyone else either, but no one ever asked. The only person who ever did ask about it, in fact, was Cedric himself. He was a clever child, and had inquired as young as five, "Mommy, Daddy - Why don't I look like you?"

Winifred the Wise had told him the truth, but she did so gently and with few unnecessary details. She knew just how much the child was prepared to handle. "That's because I didn't give birth to you, my sweet Ceddykins. Another woman did. But she couldn't keep you safe and provided for, so she asked us to raise you instead. And so we did. We've raised you as if you were truly our own. But..." Her small smile wavered, "If you should want to meet your real mother-"

Wise though she was, emotions got the best of Winifred in that moment, and she mispoke. She hadn't meant to say it quite like that, but Cedric, her clever little boy, quickly interrupted her with a tight hug. "I don't want to meet her, I don't need to! YOU are my real mother!"

Mother and Child had cried in each other's arms, while Father watched somberly nearby.

Many years had passed since the day of that revelation. At the command of the King, Cedric and a few other wizards from near and far were making preparations to aid the kingdom of Arendelle after a recent magical incident. Apparenty their new queen had been discovered to be a powerful ice sorceress, and had accidentally frozen her entire kingdom for a few days after an emotional outburst at her coronation.

Cedric couldn't help but roll his eyes when he heard about it - He was SO glad he was raised in one of the few protected magical kingdoms on Earth. It was downright scary to think that in many other places, magical people were persecuted for what they were. It had formerly been the case with Arendelle, which for many years had been an area controlled by militant Christian Kings. But with the emergence of the magical ice Queen Elsa, a treaty had been proposed between the other hidden magical kingdoms and Arendelle.

From then on, Arendelle and its people had agreed to become one of the secret magic-safe kingdoms on Earth. Queen Elsa had gratefully accepted the wizards who were being sent to establish a new academy there, and the secret magical citizens of Arendelle, of which there were more than a handful, were going to be taught how to use their powers without having to hide them in fear anymore.

Cedric wasn't going to be teaching at the yet-to-be-built academy, though, he was still very much employed under the kingdom of Enchancia. His orders from the king was to aid Arendelle as a healer, as a few of the weak and elderly had come down with bad colds, and some even with cases of magical winter-induced pneumonia. Of course King Roland had insisted, they couldn't not offer to help with some magical hot cocoa or some enchanted chicken soup.

The day before he was supposed to begin traveling to Arendelle, Cedric was visiting his parents at their home in Mystic Meadows at Winifred's invitation, soaking in his mother's affection and munching on her magical tasties as usual, while his father droned on about what specifics of the spells he ought to remember once he got to Arendelle.

But Winifred soon put a stop to Goodwin's good-natured but misplaced advice-giving. The last thing their son needed before such a big mission was his father's hen-pecking. "Enough of that, Goodwin, dear. I think there's something more important we ought to be speaking to Cedric about right now, don't you?"

Goodwin blinked in recognition of the matter. "Oh, yes indeed..."

Winifred sat down next to her son and took his hand, patting it as she went on. "I know it's been quite a while since we last talked about this Cedric, but I think you really ought to know a few things before you leave..."

Cedric stared at his mother apprehensively. He could already feel that this subject was not to be a lighter one. He listened patiently as she went on, "Do you remember, son, when you were young, and I told you that I was not your birth-mother?"

Her son couldn't help but recoil a bit at the uncomfortable reminder. "Yes..." He answered quietly.

Winifred nodded, "Well... There's a few things about that I think you should know about now. First of all, your birth-mother lives in Arendelle. And I've very recently received word from an acquaintance there that your biological mother is among the very sick. She contracted a bad case of pneumonia and has been much weaker than usual. Cedric, I know you said as a child that you considered me to be your real mother, and you know you always will be, but... Well, this may be your last chance to get to know the woman who brought you into the world. Her name is Sarah Jane Svenson-Hall." She cleared her throught lightly as she added, "Of course, if you truly don't want to, you can ask another magic-user to tend to her... But I thought, since you're going there to treat the sick, and she's among the sick... Well, just do whatever your heart wants most, son."

Cedric made no promises to do one thing or the other. He simply thanked his mother for telling him, and gave her and his father a hug before he left, gratefully taking some of his mummy's wonderful pumpkin-bread with him for the trip.

He was already feeling fairly drained by the time he left, so he groaned freely in suffering as he met none other than the Princess Sofia, who was only just a few years older than the day they met, walking down the opposite side of the road.

"Where do you think you're going?" He inquired sourly and without much actual interest.

"To see your parents!" She chirped back, honest and unashamed. "Your mother asked me to come try her famous pumpkin bread and have tea, and your father is going to show me a few neat spells! Were you just seeing them? How come you look so upset? Did your father say something mean again?"

He puffed out a breath of frustration. "For once, no..."

The caring girl pressed further, but gently, "Well, then why do you look so down? You DO look pretty down right now, Mister Cedric... Is it anything I can help you with?" She offered sweetly.

He slowly shook his head at first, but then after a short pause, he changed his mind and spoke up, "Did... Did you know I was adopted...?" He blurted out, crossing his arms over his chest awkwardly. He normally didn't share such intimate details with anyone, especially not the angelic little royal brat before him, but the information was heavy on his mind at this particular moment, and talking about it seemed the lighten the load.

She blinked openly in surprise. "Why, no, I would have never guessed! I always thought you looked just like your father!"

"Really?" He blinked back at her, almost pleased by that.

"Oh yes! I thought for sure that's where you got that nose of yours from!" He glared weakly at her and she blushed, covering her mouth with a little giggle. "I'm sorry! But that's so interesting, I never knew that about you, Mister Cedric."

"Of course not." He rolled his eyes. "Anyways, mummy just told me that my biological mother just happens to be living in Arendelle, but-"

He was about to go on to say that he wasn't sure he wanted to see the woman after all this time and how she had just given him away as a baby, but the princess interrupted him with a loud, excited gasp, "Oh Cedric, it's so wonderful that she's still alive! You're going to see her when you go to Arendelle, right? I'm sure she'll be happy to see you again!"

The sweet, naive child. Why would she have given him up to begin with if she ever wanted to see him again, he thought. Not to mention, she had never sought him out over the years, either. But he didn't speak his grim thoughts out loud to the optimistic princess. Instead he sighed and shrugged as he replied, "I suppose I should go visit the old gal at least once..."

Sofia's eyes grew worried for him. "Oh, Mister Cedric... I really think you should. Don't you want to tell her what an amazing sorcerer you've grown up to be? I'm sure she'll be so proud to hear about all the things you've done with your life, even if she couldn't be a part of it. Whatever her reasons were..."

...Maybe not so naive after all. Hesitating just once, Cedric patted the child's head as he passed her. "Thank you, Princess Sofia. I'll see you again when I return from my trip."

She smiled broadly and waved to him as he headed down the road, "Bon voyage, Mister Cedric! Good luck with everything!"

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Cedric used a few spells to stave off the seasickness while he was on the boat to Arendelle, and barely resisted the urge to kiss the ground when they'd finally landed. However, he was in no hurry to meet the mystery woman he owed his life to. The selfish sorcerer had been invited, along with all the other grand wizards who came along on the trip, to Queen Elsa's castle that night for a feast, and he wasn't about to miss out on a fancy shin-dig.

A traditional banquet was set out, with several kinds of roast meats, hearty steamed vegetables, chocolates and hot chocolate, and something the locals called 'hot glog' which smelled like a hard spiced cider. With his stomach still queasy, he opted to go with just the hot chocolate. It was some -really- good, creamy hot chocolate though, so he had at least three mugs.

But for the most part, his attention was completely on the captivatingly beautiful Ice Queen, Elsa. She addressed the men and women who had come to lend their talents to her country with the utmost respect as she began, "Thank you all so much for coming. I really can't express to you all how much I appreciate your kindness. Some of you are complete strangers who have come to us with open arms, but more than a few others, I have been told, are descended from the people of Arendelle. People who were cast out because others were scared of who and what they were... I never want such a thing to happen again, and I am doubly glad to see those of you who were cast out, back again with us. Magic can do such great or terrible things - Let us work together to make our lives, our kingdoms, and our magic greater for each other, and those who come after us. Cheers, friends! Welcome and welcome back!"

Cedric raised his glass and toasted with the rest of them, looking around. Most of the people in attendance were fair-haired. There were a few dark haired people there like him, but they didn't look much like Cedric, so he doubted he had any brothers or sisters in attendance... Good.

King Roland had set him up with a room at one of the inns, where he slept at night after spending the day making magical recipes for the sick. Still he didn't immediately seek out his kin, until a elderly woman he was treating one day remarked, "As I live and breathe, you look -exactly- like my old neighbor, Sarah Jane Svenson-Hall! Sarah Jane, tall and plain, Svenson-Hall, plain and tall! That's what everybody used to call her, you know!"

He insisted he didn't know who she was speaking of, but her words unnerved him. If what the old woman was saying was true, he apparently took after his mother...

Finally, a few weeks later, morbid curiousity got the better of him, and he asked a few of the locals where he might find the woman in question. They directed him towards a tiny, run-down and rickety shack on the outskirts of town. It was definitely in disrepair, but it was as tidy as one would be able to get it without magic.

He rapped his knuckles on the door, hissing as a splinter stuck into him. He used his wand to magic away the wood chip, then hurried to put his wand back away into his robes as he heard someone approaching the door.

They stopped to cough harshly for a few seconds before they opened it, but when they finally did, both the woman inside of the door and the man outside of it stopped and stood still for a long moment, staring at each other and their mirror-like faces.

Her hair, her eyes, and good lord her NOSE - Everything about her face was, indeed, exactly like his. Hesitantly, he asked her in a quiet voice, "Do you know who I am...?"

She blinked a few times before replying, almost smoothly and with just a hint of sarcasm, "I suppose I'd have to be blind not to."

He nodded slowly, still staring at her face. "...My mother told me about you."

"Did she? I asked her not to." The elderly woman deadpanned.

Cedric hardened his gaze. "Is that so. I suppose that means I'm not welcome here..."

"I didn't say that." He was surprised to see her quickly correct him. She turned and coughed for a moment, her lungs clearly thick with mucus, before beckoning him with one hand to come inside her humble dwelling. "I won't have what few neighbors I have here thinking I'm a rude host. You're kin and you've sought me out. You're welcome here..."

Cedric nodded solemnly and stepped into her shack. The living room and the kitchen and her bedroom seemed to be the same room, he realized with a small shudder, feeling more than a little claustrophobic compared to the extravagant castles that he was used to. "So, you live here by yourself, Ms. Sarah Jane Svenson-Hall...?"

"You can call me Sarah. And the arrangement suites me." She answered briskly, then after a short pause, elaborated, "At this point in my life I'd rather be alone, for the most part... But I know who you are, boy, and I won't turn you away this time. I suppose you came to find out why I did then?"

"No." Cedric answered coolly. "I came here the treat the sick. You just happen to be one of my patients." He reached into a satchel he'd brought with him and pulled out a thermos, in which was some hot chocolate that he'd boiled with healing herbs and infused with magic for an extra immunity boost. He poured some into the cup and handed it to the woman, "I won't ask you to tell me anything you don't want to say. But if you want to say anything, I'll listen."

She glanced down appreciatively at the steaming, sweet-smelling cup, and gratefully accepted it into her hands. Blowing a bit at the steam before she sipped at her, she sighed with some small relief immediately after. "Thank you, boy. I would make us a pot of tea, but my tea kettle and a few other things were stolen from me a while ago. When Arendelle was so suddenly frozen, I was told that they were handing out cloaks and hot food to everyone at the castle, so I hurried to get some. But when I came back, some hooligan had broken into my house. The knave. Couldn't have robbed somebody who had anything worth stealing, and the means to replace it. I suppose I should be grateful they at least left my bedding, or I would already be dead..."

Cedric felt horrible for the poor old woman, and guilty for not seeking her out sooner than he had. He also realized, as he stared at her face and hair, which had only a few sparse wrinkles and no gray strands that he could see - That she was probably actually not -that- old. In fact, she looked to be at least a little younger than his 'real' parents, Goodwin and Winifred. He realized, she must have been rather young when she had him... "It's fine. Drink. I have plenty..."

She sipped at the warm, sweet drink for a moment or two, then walked over to her bed and sat down at one end of it. She patted the other end of the bed, and since there was no other seating in the very small hut, Cedric accepted and sat down next to her.

She drank half of the cup before she began again. "When I was young, I lived in the castle. My whole family did. My Mother and Father served the King and Queen. My mother, her name was Tammy Hall. She and her mother originally came to serve Arendelle from a English nobleman's house. They both had dark hair. My father, Sven Svenson, had very fair, yellow-white hair and his family had been employed with the King already for three generations. He and my mother fell in love there and married, and had three children, all girls with dark hair. I was the oldest. While my parents worked, I went to school until I was of age, and then I began working for the Royal Family myself. But then..."

She swallowed, as if there was something painful blocking her throat. "One day, the King and Queen suddenly banished almost everyone from the palace. Only the two oldest families, the Strand's and the Peterson's, were allowed to stay as the family's personal servants. The rest of us, even the loyal Svenson's, were put out of a job. My proud father Sven Svenson, he went to work with the ice harvesters to put a roof over our head, food on the table, and to keep my sisters in school. But not long after he started, there was an accident... My father slipped and fell on the ice, and cracked his head clean open. He died from the injury, and then after that, I had to find work to help my mother look after me and my sisters..."

Her cup was nearly empty by then, so Cedric carefully poured her some more. Other than that, he simply listened without comment as she went on, "You know, when I was a schoolgirl, the children used to have a rhyme they sang around me - Sarah Jane, tall and plain, Svenson-Hall, plain and tall. I suppose I was a bit taller than most girls when I was young, and my back wasn't hunched over, but I must not have been -too- plain. I managed to get a good job with a well-to-do man's family because he thought I had a pretty face. And one night while working for him, shortly after my mother had gotten ill and died, I was invited to a fun little gathering in the servant's quarters, after one of my master's parties. He had been entertaining some influential guests from places abroad, and their servants got together with us later that night to meet each other..."

Cedric watched her face closely. She hesitated before going on, her voice thick, "I... I was a stupid girl, and I fell in love with some charming young man I'd just met a few days before, who flattered me terribly and made all kinds of tempting promises, but was nowhere to be found shortly after. He had pitch black hair, and he told me his name was William White. But when I looked for him later, everyone told me they'd never heard of anyone with that name..."

She cleared her throat, which led to another round of coughing. She politely turned her head from him to protect him from the germs, but also to hide the shame on her face. "Despite how you came to me, I was still going to try to raise you at first. I was already raising my sisters alone, so I thought I should be able to raise you too... Well, that's what I told myself at first, but I was so very scared, and then when I began to show, people began to be cruel to me because I wasn't married. My master fired me. Luckily a noblewoman with a large family agreed to let us stay if we helped her with her many children, her name was Annabella Ackerman. It was a good fit for a while, and she helped me greatly when I gave birth to you - Which was undoubtedly the greatest ordeal of my life. We both might have died without her help and her warm, safe house - You were born in Winter, you see..."

"Makes sense." Cedric finally mumbled back, deep in thought over all he'd heard so far. So there was little chance of meeting his biological father, if apparently he'd lied about his name. But if that was the case, Cedric was also pretty sure he didn't want to meet that kind of person anyways...

Sarah nodded as she went on once more, "Things were alright the first couple of months, but then... One day... Good heavens, you scared the wits out of me!" She suddely exclaimed, looking up at him with wide eyes. "I came to collect you from your crib, and I found you... Floating on the ceiling! I scream my lungs out, thought the devil had possessed you! The mistress found us, she helped me get you down and explained what you were. No one in either of my families were magical, and I had never seen magic before. It truly frightened me. It was hard enough trying to raise a child out of wedlock, but a magical child was too much for a woman in my position to handle! I cried and cried, so scared for us both. I was sure we would both be killed if they found out about you..."

She wiped her eyes with the corners of her shawl. "But Mistress Annabella, she again saved our lives... She had a friend, a neighbor from childhood. She was magical. She had the power to just appear in one place or another, materialize out of thin air. I remember being so jealous when I found out about her. I wish I could just go anywhere I wanted, whenever I wanted... She and her magical family had moved away when she was young to avoid persecution from those who hated them because they did not understand them, but they stayed in contact with their most loyal and understanding friends. So, my mistress contacted her, and told her about you, and with her help, they found a magical couple who was willing to take you in and care for you..."

"Goodwin and Winifred..." Cedric nodded in understanding. "But... Why did you ask my mother not to tell me about you? Did you never want to see me again, because of what I was?"

She shook her head. "No. I just thought that you probably wouldn't want to see me again, since I couldn't give you any of the things they could. The day I passed you off to them, when I saw you go into Winifred's arms... When I saw her holding you, and looking down at you as if you were her whole world, making you giggle with her silly spells when you almost always cried with me... I knew right away, that you had never truly belonged with me. Winifred was your real mother, not I..."

He took a long, deep breath before he dared to ask, "Your old mistress... Why aren't you still working for her?"

She copied his actions, drawing in a shaky breath before answering, "About a year after I gave you away, Mistress Annabella told me that the family was going to sell their Arendelle property and move back to her girlhood home in Germany. She invited me to come along... But I was scared. Arendelle has always been my home, I'd never been to or known any other place. I wish I had gone, but my younger sisters didn't want to go with me. They both just happened to find wonderful husbands earlier that year and encouraged me to find one as well. They knew a man who had a few children but no longer had a wife, and they convinced me to marry him for the financial stability. My youngest sister Lilian Lynn told me, 'You're not getting any younger, Sarah.' She died trying to give birth to her first child two years later."

"Is your other sister still alive?" Cedric inquired, fighting to keep a straight face and not reveal the sorrow he secretly shared with her.

She had a brief coughing fit before she continued once more, "I'm not sure. Dana May and her husband moved away not long after Lilian died. We used to write for a while, but then she stopped sending letters. My husband may have been destroying them. He didn't stay kind long after the wedding. I was more like a housekeeper to him than a wife. I avoided him as much as I could, and thankfully I never bore him another child. His first handful was tiresome enough. But when he died a few years later, I had no claim to anything of his, and his children that I raised, that I fed and washed and clothed like their personal servant, they kicked me out. The only small kindness they showed me was to give me this little coffin of a shack on the outskirts of town... I was rather scared and lonely at first, but it's not so bad anymore. I never knew the freedom of only having to look after yourself until now, and I have to say, it suites me well at this point in my life..."

"Oh come now." Cedric interrupted her, "You're talking as if you expect to die yourself. You're not that old, and besides that, -I- am Cedric the Sensational! I wouldn't be employed by the King of Enchancia if I couldn't cure a wee cold! Here, have the rest of this cocoa..." He told her, pouring the remainder of the thermos' content into her mug.

"Sensational, are you..." She repeated before taking another sip.

"The Princess of Enchancia herself said that about me!" He bragged, declining to mention that the Princess in question was about seven years old when she said that.

"Well, that is something." She responded calmly. "Good for you. I'm glad you've had a better life there than you would have ever had here. But I'll be honest with you too - I sorely envy you, boy..."

Cedric looked around at the sad state of her drafty abode. "I can't say I don't see why..." He sighed as he got up to his feet again, and placed a hand down on the old woman's shoulder. "...I don't blame you for any of the choices you've made, or the circumstances you had to make them under. As a matter of fact... I've lived a rather enchanted life thanks to what you did for me. I want you to know that, and... I thank you. For everything."

She shook her head shyly and averted her eyes, but she also reached up and lightly patted her hand over his. "T'was nothing, m'boy..." She mumbled back with a thick throat, taking another swallow of his herbal hot cocoa to hide the emotions. When she finished the cup, she handed it back to him, and he screwed it back on to the thermos. "I'm glad you came, and I thank you for the hot drink..." She tried to get through the sentence, but her voice began to crack towards the end. "But perhaps, you should go now..."

He nodded tensely and took his hand back from her shoulder. Without another word, he left her and the claustrophobic little shack behind, and returned to his inn.

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A week after that, and a few days before Cedric was scheduled to return home to Enchancia, he put in a formal request to see the queen. He didn't think she would respond at all, but in fact she did so the very next day, summoning him back to the castle. She met him in the foyer along with her sister, Princess Anna, and greeted him, "Good afternood, Sir Cedric. I thank you whole-heartedly for helping my people. Almost everyone you've treated has made a full recovery. You said you had something to ask of me - Please let me know what that is."

So Cedric began to explain, "Your majesty. I am honored by your presence. The reason I asked to see you today is because I have something to tell you, and something to ask you. I was adopted by Goodwin the Great and Winifred the Wise of Enchancia, but I was born here in Arendelle to a woman named Sarah Jane Svenson-Hall. She and her family used to be employed by the castle when she was young, but they were let go along with most of the rest of the staff. Her life has just gotten harder and harder since then, and now she's living alone in an awful, drafty little shack. I never knew her before I came back here to Arendelle, but I can't help but worry about her now. She's not that old, she's just had a difficult life. I'm sure she could get better again soon if she was just given a chance..."

The Queen and her sister looked pitiously upon him, and more than a little guilty too. Princess Anna rushed to assure him, "How awful, Sir Cedric! Of course your mother can come back to the castle, right away!"

Queen Elsa nodded sternly, "Yes, of course. I'm so glad you brought this matter to our attention, Sir Cedric. To be honest Anna and I have been trying our best to seek out all our former staff members and offer them back their employment. We truly feel terrible that our circumstances caused so many others besides ourselves to suffer, but we were so young when our parents decided to isolate the castle for our protection, we didn't know who all of the servants who had been sent away were. Miss Svenson-Hall is more than welcome to come back under our employment - In fact, I must insist that she take a room at the castle right away and continue her healing here until she's made a full recovery."

Cedric bowed low to the royal sisters, deeply grateful. "Thank you, your majesty. I'm immensely relieved to know that the woman who gave me the life I've had, can spend the rest of hers in peace, warmth and comfort..."

Elsa glanced down at her ungloved hands. "That's the least any of us deserves..."

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When the day came for Cedric to leave aboard the ship that had taken him to Arendelle, he left for the dock without seeking out any of the people he'd met along the way. But many of them stopped him in the streets as he headed down them with his luggage in a satchel on his back. They shook his hand and slapped him on the back and thanked him wholeheartedly for his help. A few of them even assured him that he had saved their lives.

He modestly denied their praise and ducked away until he finally reached the port. Once there he threw his luggage up to a sailor on board, and then began to board himself.

That was, however, until he spotted a somewhat tall, somewhat plain older lady making her way down the docks, towards him. He stopped and headed back down to the pier, meeting her half-way. "I'm going back home now..." He told her quietly.

"I see that..." Sarah nodded. "The queen and the princess and their whole royal brigade came to fetch me yesterday, and set me up in a beautiful room in the castle. They said you asked them to..."

Cedric shuffled awkwardly from one foot to the other and crossed his arms over his chest. "It was the least I could do. You made sure I was provided for in life. I knew I had to return the favor..."

She swallowed thickly, and then in the next second, she had thrown her arms around him, squeezing him tight while her tears ran down onto his shoulder. "Thank you for taking care of me, my sensational son..."

He returned the embrace, finding it a little awkward at first, not having to bend over to hug somebody. "I won't forget you, mother... And, can I ask you just one more thing before I go?"

She pulled back a bit from the hug, but still hung on to his forearms with her much skinnier hands. "Of course, Cedric."

He held on to her arms in return as he inquired, "I was just wondering, about that. Were you the one who named me Cedric? If so, was there any particular reason you decided to name me that?"

She blinked, the question taking her memory back years. "Oh dear... To be honest, it's not terribly clever, but it was from one of Mistress Annabella's books that I read when I was pregnant with you. 'Ivanhoe', it was called, and 'Cedric' was one of the characters. I probably should have named you something more traditional, but I was a silly young girl..."

He shook his head. "I like my name. Thank you, Sarah..." He returned soulfully to her, and after one more embrace, the both of them, for the second and last time, let each other go.

After that Cedric got on board, and Sarah watched him off from the dock as his ship began to set sail. They smiled and cried and waved to each other until the distance between made them both invisible to each other's eyes.

But never again were they invisible to each other's hearts.

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	2. Home is Where the Heart Is

Cedric had been deeply affected by his trip to Arendelle, but not really visibly so. He had been extra irritable since the minute he stepped off the boat, and had been avoiding people even more than he usually did. But since that was his normal behavior anyways, and almost everyone else tended to avoid Cedric as much as possible as well, no one really noticed or brought it up at first.

Only one person did notice. One person especially had been waiting for his return to Enchancia. One person was watching as he frowned and sighed dramatically and shuffled around - Again, not unlike his usual behavior, but she could tell that it was different now than it had been before, and she had a good idea why.

So one sunny afternoon, she stole away to the shadier side of the castle where the sorcerer went about his private studies, and knocked on the tall, wooden door to his quarters. At first he didn't answer, pretending not to be there. But the princess was politely insistent, and finally Cedric sighed and got up to answer the door. He glared down at her as he realized who it was. "Princess Sofia. To what do I owe this... Pleasure?" The way he said the last word, it was almost as if it literally tasted bad to him.

The child directed a brilliant smile up at his grouchy face. "Oh, I just wanted to see how you've been doing! I haven't gotten the chance to see you since you got back from Arendelle. Have you been well, Mr. Cedric?"

Again he sighed in suffering, and stepped aside for her to come in. "Yes, I've been as well as ever, I suppose..." He answered, not very convincingly.

"Oh..." She replied, picking up on his tone right away, but not mentioning it just yet. Instead she inquired, "Well, how was the trip?"

He knew she wouldn't go away unless he indulged her first, so he concocted up a short tale and recited it almost robotically compared to his usual standards, "Oh, it was very scenic~ Ice-capped mountain-tops overlooking the town, the gently rocking fjord and the boats with their intricate engravings of mermaids and dragons, and all that..."

But the Princess wasn't satisfied with his recollection, and her memory wasn't as short as Cedric was hoping, either. "What about your biological mother? Did you get to see her after all?"

Cedric paused for a few seconds, then frowned and looked away from her, pretending to be looking for a certain book on his shelf, so he didn't have to meet her eyes. "I'm... Not really sure how best to say this, your highness, but I think you may be too young for me to discuss such things with you..."

"Too young?" Her highness pouted and put her hands on her hips, clearly offended and more so than Cedric would have expected. "Mr. Cedric, for one thing, I am not -that- young anymore. Perhaps you're old enough to not notice when a few years have gone by, but I'm not. Just how old do you think I am, for that matter?"

Put on the spot with an angry royal glaring at him (Sweet Sofia was much more imposing when she was angry, which was still rare, but seemed to be happening a little more frequently recently...) Cedric had no choice but to provide the answer she demanded, albeit in a stammer. "U-Uh, um - T-T-Ten?" He guessed genuinely.

She princess rolled her eyes, but then she grinned and giggled, to Cedric's immediate relief. "Silly Cedric! In only a couple more months, I'm going to be -thirteen-!"

"So you're twelve." Cedric deadpanned after her, regaining his composure and trying to retreat back to his books. "I was close enough..."

"Not really!" Sofia was miffed again, but determined to prove her point. "I'm -almost- thirteen! And in case you also forgot, my Mother gave birth just last year, to my adorable baby brother Prince Julian! And when she was giving birth, I was the only one she wanted in the room besides Dad and the Midwife. SO," She concluded with a petulant pout and blush. "I already know about things like that! I know where babies come from! I knew it quite a while before that, so you don't have to side-step around that issue because you think I'm some ignorant child!"

Cedric could not bring himself to face her at all after that, and finally just took out a random spellbook and shoved his burning red face into it.

Sofia gave him a few seconds of silence before prodding him, "Well, if you really don't want to talk about it, you of course don't have to. But you know I would never tell a soul if you DID tell me anything, right...?"

He still avoided her eyes, and kept his back turned from her, silent for a long moment after that. Finally he relented, "Princess Sofia... What else can I say, that I'm sure you haven't already put together for yourself? My mother... Sarah, was a woman on hard times. I was better off being raised by Goodwin and Winifred. End of story." He announced bluntly.

"You mother's name was Sarah? What a pretty name!" She exclaimed, only to get a doubtful look from him. He couldn't help but think Sarah was a rather plain name, at least compared to Sofia. But the Princess insisted, "No really, I think it's pretty! But I'm so sorry to hear about her circumstances..."

"Yeah..." Cedric agreed gloomily, his eyes distant for a moment.

Sofia clasped her hands and glanced at him sadly, "Are you sure you don't want to talk about it, Mr. Cedric?"

He sighed and stayed quiet for a moment, but then he started to speak. He told her more about his mother, where she'd come from and what she'd been through. He only spared her the worst details. But otherwise, he was more honest with her than he'd ever been before. She listened to him patiently, and with empathetic eyes, and when he was done with his true tale, she commented, "It's so sad that she had to live like that for so long... But I'm so glad you were able to help her out, Mr. Cedric. You know - You're a great sorcerer, but you're an even better son."

Cedric gave her a warmed, heartfelt smile. "You're much too kind, your highness... Truly." He looked up again, his eyes now more focused, on her. "To be honest, I'm really not worthy of your kindness. Of any of the kindness shown to me over the years. You see, I've realized something. I used to have such dreams of grandeur... A desire for much more than what I have. But I don't even deserve what I do have. It's by pure chance that I am what I am, that I was raised where I was, and by who. I'm beginning to believe that if I keep chasing after what I think will make my happy, I'll probably never be happy..." Not to mention, if he actually ever did try to take over Enchancia, the king's army would mow him down in a heartbeat.

That was also not mentioning how awful and ill-conceived his former plans had always been, in hindsight. Goodness, what had he been thinking with that invisibility nonsense? Yes Cedric, make yourself invisible in front of the king, then swipe his daughter's amulet right in front of him. No one would suspect the only man that they knew was currently invisible.

Sofia blinked openly, and Cedric almost felt like groaning - All that was probably a bit much for the princess. But she piped up before he could recant, "Well, I suppose the most obvious advice I could give you is to follow your heart..."

Cedric couldn't resist the urge to openly roll his eyes at that. The princess, however, went on without a care for his input, "But I know that's not always as easily done as said. Especially with you, Mr. Cedric, because you have an unfortunate habit of underestimating yourself. It's even more unfortunate that you picked this habit up from other people underestimating you. I think, because of how some people have been unnecessarily harsh with you, your heart has become confused. I don't want you to think that you don't deserve to chase your dreams just because you've made mistakes in the past. And I flat-out refuse to accept that you don't deserve to because you were adopted, or because your birth-mother went through poor circumstances."

The sorcerer had stopped rolling his eyes and was now staring at the child, who went on, "Things were pretty tough for a while after my biological father, Julian, died... My mom's shoemaking business did well enough, but to be honest, my father was the 'breadwinner'. Literally, since he was a baker. People need bread more often than they need shoes, you see, and even though my mother is a pretty good baker herself, Dad was the best. Sometimes I can still taste the -exact- orange, maple cinnamon buns he used to make every Sunday. But my mom wasn't able to keep the bakery after a while, it was too much for her trying to run both businesses by herself, though she still tried. We were doing alright... Just not as well as before Dad died. It's true that King Roland provided me with financial stability, and riches I never would have dreamed of, but he gave me something much more important than that. He gave me a father again."

Cedric realized he'd been staring when Sofia suddenly glanced up and caught his eyes with hers, then he promptly looked away. He wondered, but he didn't ask the girl how her father had died. He wouldn't put her through the memory unless she wanted to bring it up. A wise decision, as she had purposefully avoided that memory herself, and didn't wish to bring it up either.

Instead she carried on, "There are some people who might say I don't deserve what I have, either. And some of them might even be right. I'm not a naive child. I know that there are some places like Enchancia, where people get along, and help one another. But that there are other places where, for all kind of strange reasons, they just... Don't. I wish everyone in the world could at least know contentment, but sadly, so many people in this world..."

It was beginning to unnerve Cedric, seeing the normally cheery Sofia in such a funk, and he finally intervened, "Please Princess, don't dwell any more on such things..."

She shook her head, but she also gave him a big, warm smile. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you, Mister Cedric. I just meant to say, since we're both lucky enough to have the lives we do, no matter how we got here or from where... We should do our best and follow our dreams, for the sake of those that never got the chances we have... I know you're truly talented Mister Cedric, so please, keep following your heart, and don't give up on your dreams."

He was staring again, he realized after a few seconds, and when he finally decided on what he was going to say next, he shyly turned his back to the Princess as he replied, "Thank you, your majesty... But maybe, sometimes... Dreams aren't always meant to come true." He went on quickly before Sofia could deny his last statement, "Sometimes the first dreams we dream, aren't the best dreams we could have come up with yet. Sometimes new dreams make it impossible to keep dreaming old dreams, and it's ultimately for the better..."

He admittedly couldn't help but glance back at her, specifically her amulet for just a brief second. A blessing or curse... Sofia was a blessing of a person, to the whole kingdom - No, to the entire human race. It was obviously best left in her possession. So he quickly glanced back up to her eyes as he continued, "But, Princess Sofia... You should follow whatever your dreams are. I believe in your dreams. Even though you're a lot younger than me and most other people, in a lot of ways, you're much wiser..."

Sofia blushed right away at the compliment, and modestly tried to deny it, "Oh, that's so, surprisingly kind of you Mister Cedric! But I'm not -that- wise, I get my spells wrong all the time-"

Cedric interrupted, "So what? So do I. Besides, I wasn't talking about being book-smart or good with magic. Your wisdom is a different sort. You know how to be kind to and care about people, even if they don't always really deserve it..."

Before she could protest that he was indeed deserving of such kindnesses, he shocked her into continued silence as he suddenly knelt down on one knee and bowed his head to her. "Someday, you'll be the kind of leader I would be honored to stand beside..."

He was right. Young though the girl was, she could tell the man before her had gone through an important change of heart. Wanting to show him how proud she was, she suddenly reached over on a whim and took one of his wands from the pile, a purple one with gold bands, and tapped on one of his shoulders, and then the other, as she announced, "I hereby unofficially knight you Sir Cedric, my royal advice-giver, but more importantly, my very best friend!"

His eyes were wide again, even more so when she reached in and gave him a very quick hug, before pulling away just as suddenly, and bounding away to the door. She looked back one before retreating completely, giggling a little at the redness in Cedric's cheeks. "Goodnight, Mister Cedric! We're all glad to have you back home!"

He stared for several seconds after she had closed the door behind her, before finally smiling to himself. "Goodnight Princess Sofia..." He murmured, even though she couldn't hear him.

Then he went back to his writing desk, and predictably, his raven screeched and squawked at him in displeasure. Cedric waved him off, "Now, now. Don't get your feathers ruffled the wrong way, Wormy. I have a feeling we have much bigger and better things in store for our future. But as for now... Well, what's a better way to come up with a new dream, than to have a little nap?" He giggled a bit at his own joke, then sighed in contentment as he went off to do just that.

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	3. The Heart is a Battlefield

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Sofia woke up in a fantastic mood on the morning of her sixteenth birthday. The sun was shining bright, the birds were singing, and although her father wasn't going to be able to make it for breakfast. He'd been on an important diplomatic trip to Tangu the last two weeks. There were matters that needed to be dealt with that he couldn't neglect, but he had crossed his heart and sworn on his honor to be back for Sofia's birthday by noon.

So breakfast passed, and then brunch. In anticipation of Roland's return, the family waited later than usual to take their lunch. But when the clock struck two in the afternoon, everyone began to get rightly worried. Finally Miranda asked Baileywick to send someone off to find the king, but to everyone's immense relief, just as the runner was about to set off on his mission, the king's carriage was spotted in the distance.

To everyone's confusion, however, the carriage was not being drawn by the flying horses like it normally was. Instead it was floating, suspended in the air by an aura of dark blueish-purple magic.

It floated to the ground just as the family met up with it, and Roland jumped out with an apologetic smile. "It's so good to see you all! Sofia, I'm so terribly sorry I was late for your birthday - But really, I'm just glad to be here at all!"

Miranda covered her mouth with a hand in shock, the other hand holding on to their youngest son, Julian. "Oh Rolly, what on Earth do you mean by that?"

"You wouldn't believe it!" The king went on excitedly, "We were on our way back when we were suddenly attacked by a rogue dragon! It scratched poor Silvermane's wing, and the coach almost plummeted to the ground! But luckily for us, this fine young sorcerer used his magic to catch us and saved our lives!"

Roland stood aside and motioned to a man who had just stepped out from behind the carriage, a tall and thin young man who appeared to be about seventeen or eighteen years old, and was wearing a ragged old green robe. Despite his youthful face and flawless skin, his hair was the strangest shade, almost as white as snow but with just a hint of silver here and there. His eyes were a piercing mix of blue and green, and so striking was the glow in those eyes that every member of the royal family could see them even from afar, but especially Sofia. Those strangely beautiful eyes locked on hers from across the grounds, and she immediately froze at the sight of them, her heart thumping...

Roland went on as everyone caught up to the carriage, "Family, I'd like you to meet my savior, the Great Sorcerer Billy Blight!"

"Blight?" Amber repeated with a raised brow and a doubtful tone, then hurried to amend herself when Miranda gave her a disapproving glance, "I'm sorry - We're of course all so grateful to you for saving Father! But, I must say, I've never heard of a name like that before...?"

The strange young man answered her with a patient but uninterested smile, which Amber noted with displeasure. "Well, it's my family name, your highness, so all due respect, but I didn't choose it. We are a clan of sorcerers that lived in the badlands that the dragon came from. Well, we -were-, actually... I am the last of my clan, you see..."

Miranda covered her mouth in shocked sympathy, the mother in her taking over right away. "Oh, you poor dear! How long have you been living in the badlands by yourself?"

The youth looked away from her as he answered, "A few years, I think..."

Sofia continued to stare into the stranger's eyes. The color and brightness of his beautiful orbs enchanted her. She finally spoke up too, her voice quiet and shy at first, "Thank you so much for saving my Dad, Mister Blight..."

"Oh, please your majesty - Just call me Billy." He urged her back just as shyly.

"I like Billy better." James quipped, going over and giving the young sorcerer a playful light punch on the shoulder. "That's some really impressive magic you got, Billy!"

The tall young man shrunk back and bowed, his beautiful glowing eyes glancing down at his feet. "Thank you, Prince James. Your father told me all about you, about what am impressive knight you are - I think that's just as impressive as my sorcery skills."

"Why thank you, Billy!" James answered with a grin.

Miranda added, "What a kind and considerate young man you are, Billy. Would you like to come in and have some cookies and tea? It actually just happens to be my daughter Sofia's sixteenth birthday today, and we're going to have a celebration tonight. There's plenty to eat, so please help yourself!"

The handsome magical man looked over at the youthful, purple-clad princess, and bowed low before her. "I wish you a very happy birthday, your highness." He told her, his voice a little more boyish and nervous addressing her than it had been when answering Amber. "May I offer to perform some magic tricks for you, at your party tonight? Unless you already have the night planned out...?"

Sofia blinked and looked away from his piercing eyes for a second, remembering, "Oh, wait... Cedric was already going to do the magic show for my party tonight..."

But Miranda quickly intervened, "Oh Sofia, Cedric has done the magic at your parties plenty of times. I'm sure he wouldn't mind the break. Let Billy do it this time."

Sofia felt a little guilty, but too tempted to resist, she nodded with a smile. "Okay! I'd love for you to do some magic for my party, thank you!"

The charming young sorcerer smiled back at her, "It would be my pleasure, Princess Sofia..."

Amber flicked her fan open in front of her face, staring at the two of them suspiciously. The rest of her family began to lead the young man onto the castle grounds, but she stayed behind them, and instead headed up to Cedric's tower.

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Cedric was in the middle of trying to drop one single, perfect, tiny drop of a blood-red liquid into a cauldron full of neon-green liquid when Amber burst into his quarters unannounced and uninvited. He gasped sharply and managed to pull the vial back without spilling anything, which gave his heart a jolt and caused him to glare at the girl who had nearly just caused the both of them to be blown to kingdom come. "Princess Amber! What do you think you-"

The sixteen-year-old interrupted him confidently, arms crossed. "Cool it, Cedric. You're gonna thank me for this in a minute. Some sorcerer kid just saved Dad on his way back from the trip to Tengu. Now everybody's fawning all over him, and Mother even let him replace -you- in tonight's magic show."

That certainly got Cedric's attention. He almost dropped the red vial again in shock, but he managed to catch it just in time. "What?! B-But, -I- do the magic at Sofia's party every year!"

"Well, not -this- year!" Amber corrected him, "And that's not even the worst part..."

"It's not?" Cedric repeated.

"No!" The princess suddenly let out a very unladylike growl, and even stamped her foot. "Cedric, be honest with me for a minute - IF you were a young, attractive, talented, YOUNG sorcerer-"

"You said 'young' twice..." He mentioned gloomily under his breath.

Amber went on without a care, "I'm just saying, IF you were those things, but especially attractive and young-"

Cedric felt compelled to interrupt her at least once more, "You know, I might not be that young, but I'm not THAT OLD, either! I'm only thirty-four you know!"

"Focus, Cedric!" The haughty princess scolded him, "IF you were young, attractive and a really talented sorcerer, and you had just been introduced to our royal family, who would you show interest in first, me or Sofia?"

Cedric stared at her for a long moment, shocked into silence.

"Well?" She demanded impatiently.

He immediately deadpanned back, "Oh no. I'm not touching this one with a ten foot wand, Princess Amber."

"No, be serious!" She insisted with a frown. "It's -obvious- that I would naturally be a better choice than Sofia! I'm closer in line to the throne, simple as that. Which means that this guy doesn't have those kinds of motives! Or maybe he still does, but not concerning Sofia...?"

"Wait, what-?" The royal sorcerer was beginning to get confused.

"LISTEN!" Amber suddenly stamped her foot again, uncommonly frantic, "I know what you're probably thinking, but believe it or not, I'm not just jealous that some handsome boy is paying attention to Sofia! I don't know why but this kid gives me the creeps, okay Cedric? Father is thankful to him for saving his life and so is everyone else. I knew -they- wouldn't listen to me, so I need you to! Sofia was acting really different from usual since she saw this guy. She -stares- at him, like... Like she's head over heels in love! Now some of my girlfriends might get like that sometimes, but Sofia's not like that with boys, let alone one she just met! Even if he is -incredibly- gorgeous, literally incredibly - He's got these glowing greenish-blue eyes and silvery white hair! How many kids have you met with white hair?"

Again Cedric deadpanned, pointing to his own bangs, which unlike most of his coal-colored hair had always been that strange contrasting white flecked with a few grays. He'd never used magic to dye it, as some assumed, he'd been that way since he was a boy.

Amber disregarded his not-quite-sarcasm and continued, "Plus, this kid IS a sorcerer, so, he could have placed some kind of spell on Sofia, couldn't he?"

Cedric blinked for a few seconds, finally processing the information. "Well, yes, that could be a possibility, I suppose..."

She sighed and put her hands on her hips in determination, "Alright, listen. Mother already let him take over your magic show for the evening, so there's nothing anyone can really do about that. But you should at least leave your stinky potions and books for one night and come watch the show yourself, to make sure he doesn't do anything nefarious! And if he does... Well, he's obviously more talented than you, so I'm not sure how much you could really do, but we need at least one magical person on our side. So, be at Sofia's party tonight. That's a royal order!"

He didn't need to be ordered and he didn't appreciate her lack of confidence, so he gave her a light glare, but nodded resolutely nonetheless. "I'll do it."

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Cedric headed downstairs to Sofia's party a few minutes earlier than it was scheduled, getting comfortable behind some tapestries where he could watch without being seen. The guests had crowded around the room while the royal family sat in their thrones up front. In the very center of the room, the beautiful youth stood, his green cloak draped out in front of him dramatically.

He suddenly threw the cloak back over his shoulder, and in each hand, he was holding a rose. One of the roses was a fresh red bud barely peeking out of the green calyx, while the other was so wilted it was impossible to tell what the color had once been, but it was currently brown and shriveled. He held the two flowers out for everyone to see, and the red bud began to rapidly bloom. At the same time, the wilted rose seemed to be in a state of reverse-decay. It's dried-out stem began to fill with water and green color, and the wilted rose petals, which were so dry before that they were almost about to fall off, blossomed anew with freshness and pure white color, veined with a healthy bit of green.

The white rose bloomed in full, then began to shrink back into a bud. The red rose, in the meantime, had begun to wither. Just when this began to worry the guests, the strange sorcerer put his magic back in reverse, bring both flowers to a full bloom, neither a bud nor decaying.

Everyone clapped for the trick, and he brought the flowers up first to Sofia to choose one. She selected the white rose with a dreamy smile, and Billy lingered just a second to wink at her before bringing the red rose over to Amber. She looked at him doubtfully for a second, but with her parents giving her expectant stares, she finally gave in and took the rose, which suddenly wrapped around her wrist like a bracelet. At first she seemed shocked, but then to Cedric's apprehension, she immediately calmed down and accepted the gift with a smile...

The young sorcerer then went back to Sofia, and bent down to gesture at the old rabbit by her feet. Clover still had some spring in his steps, but he didn't `hop nearly as fast as he used to after all these years. "Princess Sofia, may I please borrow this rabbit for a trick? I promise it will be amazing..."

He looked deep into her eyes, but to his surprise, she resisted, "I... I don't know... Clover isn't just my pet, he's my friend, and he's pretty old... The trick won't hurt him, right?"

The white haired youth stiffened and took a step back, but he never took his eyes off of Sofia's, "It IS just a rabbit, your highness..."

Sofia's eyes stared back into Billy's, hesitant and struggling. Compelled by a very wrong sort of feeling bubbling up in his stomach, Cedric came out from beneath the tapestry he was hiding behind, and stepped forward. "That rabbit means an awful lot to Princess Sofia, Billy. You should find something else to use in your magic trick if it will hurt her pet."

Billy looked back at the source of the interruption with a small scowl. But the scowl was quickly replaced by a grin, and the youth bowed before he answered, "Ah, you must be Cedric, the royal sorcerer of this castle! But of course I'd never hurt the poor little bunny! Wouldn't you know it though, you've given me a better idea anyways! May I ask for YOUR assistance with this trick, Cedric? I'll still need the bunny too, but I swear on my life, Princess Sofia, he will not be harmed."

Reluctantly Sofia finally nodded and handed Clover over to Billy, and since he seemed to have been roped into the charade, Cedric stepped out into the middle of the room. Billy placed Clover right next to Cedric and took a few steps back. He then pulled out a wand from his shirt, and began to wave it around, muttering words no one could make out under his breath.

Cedric could see wisps of purple magical aura surrounding him and Clover, but then he suddenly fell forward with an awful pain, as if he had been punched in the gut and the heart and the head all at once. While Cedric slowly recovered on the ground, the purple magic began to swirl around Clover frantically, and after a moment of being encased in that magic, Clover finally emerged again. Not only was he unharmed as Billy has promised - He was a very young rabbit again, spry and alert.

He happily hopped and bounded over to Sofia, sniffling at her in a language only she could understand, "Sofia! I'm young again! I remember being a young bunny, but now I FEEL like one again!"

Sofia was of course overjoyed for her pet, but she was also terribly concerned for her best friend, knelt over on the floor in pain. "What happened to Mister Cedric? Is he okay?"

Billy rushed to assure her, making eye contact once again, "Oh he's fine, my dear princess! It did hurt a -little- but it is a temporary pain, I assure you! And quite a worthy trade if you ask me! Your precious little bunny got seven years of life back for just ONE of Cedric's!"

"But... You took a year of life away from Cedric!" She argued back, stubbornly staring back over his shoulder at Cedric, almost of the verge of tears for him.

Billy sighed and answered patiently, "Oh... Well, I am sorry Princess, but he DID volunteer. The pain is very temporary. And I'm sure he was glad to do it to make the Princess happy, right Mister Royal Sorcerer?"

Cedric slowly heaved himself back up off the ground, taking a few deep breathes before answering with a wheeze, "Yes, yes... It's quite alright, Princess Sofia. Everything's going to be alright..." He assured her, giving her a deep, meaningful look before slinking back to the shadows.

He stayed close by until the show was finally over. When the guests went about getting themselves refreshments, he stepped over to Amber as she went to get herself a drink, and started to whisper to her, "Princess Amber... There's something I noticed about this Billy-kid, that I think you should know..."

But she suddenly interrupted him, talking fast and stroking the red rose that was entwined around her wrist, "What about Billy? That he's just an absolute dream and utterly fantastic? Because I already noticed that~"

Cedric stared at her in horror for a moment before sputtering back, "B-But your majesty, earlier you said-"

"Forget what I said earlier!" She barked back at him with a deep glare, "I was wrong! Billy is the most amazing sorcerer in the world! If you have a problem with him, it's probably because you're jealous!"

She was yelling so loudly now that the whole room overheard, and to Cedric's shock King Roland began to approach the two of them. He didn't look happy. "Cedric, do you have some kind of problem with Billy? The young man who bravely saved my life today?"

Cedric shook a bit and quickly bowed, "N-N-No your majesty! I meant no such disrespect, I swear! I'll just return to my quarters..."

The King gave him a stern glance before replying, "Yes, you do that, Cedric. And I hope you come up with something amazing while you're in there tonight, because I've got half a mind to make it Billy's quarters by morning!"

The Royal Sorcerer's eyes went as wide as saucers, and he almost yelped back, "Y-Yes your majesty!" Before rushing out of the room in fear.

Almost shaking from the scolding, Cedric retreated back to his room quickly. But about halfway there, he found himself suddenly tripping over a foot that literally appeared from nowhere. When he got back up to his feet, Cedric found the young sorcerer Billy snickering at him from behind a suit of armor, his foot still stuck out. "Hah! Old man, are you blind as well as untalented? How do you even get to be a royal sorcerer with magic as pathetic as yours? Oh well, I guess it doesn't matter, since you won't be the royal sorcerer for long. In fact, I just wanted to tell you, as a parting gift of sorts - Don't bother working your butt off all night trying to impress the king tomorrow. You might as well just get a good night's rest. You'll be needing it when you have to move out and go job hunting!"

Cedric glared and ground his teeth up at the obnoxious little brat as he laughed and pointed at him. However, to Billy's surprise, Cedric answered seriously, "You know what? I'd be happy to give you this bloody job, Billy. But that's not what you're really after, is it?"

Billy stopped laughing, but he gave Cedric a funny stare, and grinned like a sneer. "What I'm after? Why I'm just a simple orphaned magician boy, picked up by a grateful king whose life I saved. If he should just happen to make me royal sorcerer out of gratitude, and if one of his beautiful daughters just happens to fall in love with me and I become a king someday, well, that would be just my luck!"

"Except Sofia isn't next in line for the throne..." Cedric quipped.

Billy's sneer somehow seemed to get more sinister. "Right! So obviously that's not what I want with her."

The older sorcerer continued to glare back at the haughty little punk, "You know, Billy... I've never seen magic like yours taught at any magic academies. I have heard of it though. Dark, dangerous stuff, I've been told. Where did you learn it?"

Billy's grin fell and he looked concerned for a moment, but then he smirked, "Oh, it's an old family secret. Passed down from sorcerer father to sorcerer son. Luckily for me, my old man coughed it up to me before he croaked. But that's really much more than you needed to know - I only told you because I knew it wouldn't matter if you told anyone. The whole castle loves me, if you try to tell them anything they won't believe you. So you might as well just gather your things and get ready to leave tomorrow. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a pretty, young Princess to dazzle and amaze!"

And with a puff of magical smoke, Billy disappeared, leaving Cedric coughing behind him.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

When Cedric got back to his chambers, he immediately began throwing things around, looking for his most powerful spell-book. There had to be -some- way to defeat Billy's magic, he just had to find it...

"Ahem! Cedric?"

One thousand and one hexes? A fine beginner's book but this Billy-kid was obviously no beginner, no matter how young he looked...

"Oh Ceddykins?"

Grand-witch's Guide to Jinxing? Amateur!

In his frustration, Cedric threw the last book over his shoulder, but when a loud yelp and the sound of his father roaring, "CEDRIC!" soon followed, he finally stopped what he was doing and looked back. Standing by his parent's portrait, his mother was worriedly watching Goodwin rub his sore head and straighten out his crumpled wizard's hat.

"O-Oh! S-Sorry Father!" Cedric immediately gave them an appropriately apologetic look. But then that look fell for a moment and he looked as his parents suspiciously instead. "Wait... Are you guys really here right now, or am I just imagining you again?"

Winifred redirected her worry from her husband to her son, and Goodwin raised a bushy eyebrow at him before replying, "No, son, we're really here. Your mother's protection spell sensed you were feeling very troubled, so she insisted we pay you a visit and find out what was wrong with you this time..."

Winifred glared and lightly nudged him in the ribs for that, "We just wanted to make sure you were okay, pumpkin!"

Cedric hesitated at first. He -really- hated to ask his parents for help with things, but he had to admit, if there was ever a time when he truly needed their help, it was now. Besides, there was much more than his ego on the line this time. The entire castle was in jeopardy, and the royal family had been ensnared by Billy's spell. And although he wouldn't admit it, Cedric was especially worried for Sofia. That Billy-brat had nothing good planned for her, he was sure.

Finally he sighed and began to pace back and forth as he confessed, "Alright - Some new sorcerer showed up at the castle this morning, saying he had saved Roland. But Princess Amber told me he gave her the creeps and that I ought to look into it. So I went to his show tonight, and he was using Life-Force Transference magic in his act!"

Goodwin and Winifred gasped. Life Force Transference magic was only semi-well known to be forbidden to all but the most powerful and trusted sorcerers. Goodwin had in fact learned the art once, but he had told Cedric long ago that he would never teach it to another or use it himself. It was 'unnatural', he had said.

Cedric went on, "This kid looks young, but with magic like that he could be as old as you two, or even older. Honestly, I don't know who this Billy Blight is or where he came from, but he's evil, that's for sure!"

His parents both gasped again, and this time Cedric could tell they were -really- in shock, because his father's mouth flew wide open and he stared at Cedric for a long moment, gaping. Cedric stared back at them in confusion and asked, "W-What is it...?"

His mother cocked her head at him, her eyes full of distress as she repeated, "Son, did you say he said his name was... Billy Blight?"

"Yes, why?" Cedric immediately followed, looking back and forth between them, "Do you know something about him?"

Goodwin steeled his eyes back at him, and Cedric got the hint that he probably ought to sit down for this one. He did, and Goodwin started to speak, "Over the years we've heard of a very talented but very dark sorcerer. It's been rumored he came from a very small and remote but powerful magical clan that died out except for him. There was never an official record of him, but the first anyone heard of him, he had said his name was Dillan Dwight. He was adopted by a kind mother and father, who enrolled him in a magical academy. But he bullied and even tortured his classmates, and was soon kicked out. Then, his poor adopted mother and father were killed in a very suspicious house-fire, and Dillan Dwight vanished without a trace..."

Goodwin then paused, and glanced over at Winifred. She put her hand up, motioning for him to stop and let her continue, "We didn't make the connection at first, but we heard of him again a few years later. An unknown sorcerer had been going through various little towns and villages in France and Germany, pulling dangerous magical pranks on people, inciting chaos and fear directed at harmless magic-users who had nothing to do with it. He had also apparently cruelly broken a handful of maiden's hearts. One of his last stops was in Arendelle... And he called himself William White..."

Cedric's eyes went wider than they had ever been. He remembered very well the name his mother said she had been given all those years ago. He shook violently and shrilly sputtered back at them, suddenly very glad that he'd sat down after all, "Th-That little BRAT... H-He's m-my F-F-FATHER-?!"

Winifred rushed to give him a steady hug, and Goodwin sighed, "We believe so, son. If he is indeed calling himself Billy Blight now. It really seems like the same sort of person, he probably just laid low for a while, while he perfected his terrible dark magic. If it is him, then we haven't a moment to lose! We're all going to go face this 'Billy' together and defeat him, to save the kingdom and the royal family!"

Cedric steeled his shaking body and nodded back sternly before rising to his feet, "Yes. We have to protect everyone from this awful fiend. It doesn't matter who he is, I won't let him hurt the people I care about!"

Winifred gathered them both into a quick group hug, "That's my boys! Now let's go give him heck! For Enchancia!"

"For Enchancia!" They all all agreed, pointing the tips of their wands together before they rushed to the rescue.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Halfway there they decided on a plan and split up to put it into effect. Winifred branched off to go find the fairies Flora, Fauna and Merryweather for back-up, whilst Goodwin and Cedric went off to look for Billy. The found him in the main hall, which was now empty of it's earlier guests and strangely, even the usual servants and guards. He was standing before the royal family, who were all sitting in their thrones and applauding him, their eyes blank.

"I love you, Billy... You're so amazing Billy..." Sofia distantly mumbled to him.

"So amazing..." The rest of the family agreed in monotone.

Billy was gladly soaking in their forced attentions, not minding at all that he was making them say it. "Ohoho~ Thank you ladies, you're both so lovely..."

"Step away from them, Billy!" Cedric demanded as they arrived on the scene.

Billy rolled his eyes as he looked over his shoulder, "What, you again? How very tedious. And you've brought another old geezer with you?"

"Oh, you're one to talk!" Cedric scowled back at him. "I know you're not at young as you look! In fact, I know things about you that I don't think even you know..."

The confidence in Cedric's tone unnerved the 'younger' sorcerer, who glared back and barked, "Just what do you think you know?!"

Cedric stared coldly back at him. Instead of answering, he asked him another question. "Tell me, Billy, or should I say William... Do you remember a woman named Sarah Svenson-Hall?"

At first the sorcerer still looked confused. Cedric really wanted to smack him if he truly forgot about her, but in the next instant, recognition lit up in those glowing green eyes, and Billy slapped his knee and began to laugh, loud and hearty. "OH. MY. GOD! AHAHAHA! OH, oh, this is..." He let out a few more chuckles and wiped a tear from his eye. "Well this is terribly embarrassing, actually! I was so reckless when I was young, I always wondered if something like this happened. So you're my-?"

Cedric cut him off abruptly, "I'm NOTHING to you. And YOU are NOTHING to me!"

Billy didn't look the least bit hurt by his words, only irritated. "Fool! I might have thought about passing on our family magic to you. But you're clearly not good enough. You couldn't handle the power. You don't have the guts!"

Cedric ignored the verbal assault despite how much it stung, and instead forced himself to ask, "Just what are you planning with the royal family, Billy? I will NOT let you hurt Sofia the way you hurt my mother..." He warned with a growl.

The evil sorcerer began to laugh again, and reached over to stroke the princess's cheek. "Oh my! Aren't you worried about this pretty young thing? Don't worry my boy, I'm not the same reckless young man I was in my youth. I wouldn't take a lady to bed without marrying her first. At least, not a true lady. I don't think your dirty maid of a mother really counts..."

"YOU SHUT YOUR MOUTH, YOU-" Cedric began to yell back at him, unable to handle any more of the bile coming out of his bastard father's mouth, but Goodwin suddenly cut him off with a hand in front of his lips.

The great but aging wizard glared back at Billy. "You know I must say... I always hoped Cedric would turn out better than he has so far. But considering his -humble- beginnings, I'd say he's done very well with himself, actually! You're not very bright, are you Billy? Sofia isn't next in line to the throne, not even close!"

"Oh please." Billy scoffed back, "You're the ones who aren't very bright! I already told -precious wittle Cedric-" He said very condescendingly before he continued, "That that wasn't what I wanted Princess Sofia for. I plan on marrying Princess Amber, who IS next in line for the throne, not Sofia."

Cedric actually growled under his breath, "Then WHY have you been focused on Princess Sofia all day?"

He smirked, "Because, it would be a terrible waste to let such a sweet, ripe fruit go unpicked before it starts to spoil. You see, after a certain amount of trial and error, I've found that young maidens are the perfect candidates for the magic that restores my youth. Anywhere from thirteen to nineteen years of age. Much younger than that and you risk turning yourself into a baby, much older and there's not much point in doing it at all. Now, I -did- just restore my youth not long ago, but like I said, it would be a waste to let Sofia get any older and spoil her vitality. So I'm just going to take it now and bottle it up for a rainy day~"

"The HELL you will!" Cedric snarled, pulling out Goodwin's Family Wand from beneath his purple robes.

But Billy snapped back at him fiercely, causing Cedric to shrink back with doubt for just a moment, "OH PLEASE! What do you really expect to do, you lowly son of a dirty little scullery maid?! Did you know, I went to your mother with my beautiful white hair covered in soot? HAH! And even the man that took you in can't say he's truly confident in you! You're obviously nothing but a disappointment to everyone! You may have gotten some of your puny magic from me, but it's obvious you're just a lowly little human like your mother, barely worth my time to exploit!"

Before Cedric or Goodwin could protest or deny what he had said, suddenly Sofia shouted out, frantic, as if pulling away from a great force that she could not outlast for long, "Cedric! Don't listen to him, I know you can do it! Save me, PLEASE-!" Her hand stretched out to him, but then she shuddered and took an involuntary step back. Her hand went back down and her eyes glazed over, and she was silent and complacent once more.

Billy snarled out a cruel smile, "Well, well! This one's got a surprisingly strong will within her! But not for long-"

All three sorcerers readied their wands at once, but Billy, with the most youth and vitality, was the fastest. He deftly dodged the stinging spell Cedric sent his way, then flung a knock-out curse at Goodwin. Cedric could only watch in horror as the curse struck his true father in the chest, knocking him back onto the floor, unconscious.

In that split second, as he looked away from his father's fallen form and to the maniacal grin of the monster who had attacked him, Cedric realized several things at once, an instant epiphany. He realized that he was now alone, alone to fight against a terribly powerful and horribly evil sorcerer, who was hell bent on sacrificing poor Princess Sofia to his lust for eternal youth, about to steal her life just as he had assuredly already taken many others. This madman was also his biological father. His mother had indeed come from a non-magical family, but he had gotten the magic he did have from his father. The very same magic, from the very same man...

Sofia was right. As always. He really -could- do this...

He gripped his wand and threw himself out of the way of a deadly strike of lightning Billy had zapped at him. Then, knowing that he couldn't just fling curses at the the evil wizard with the royal family right behind him, Cedric shot him first with a summoning spell, which caught him by his precious white hair and flung him several feet away.

The royal sorcerer hurried to put himself between Billy and the royal family, shielding Sofia specifically with his own body. Then, just as Billy was beginning to get up, he quickly fired off several successive pushing-spells, knocking him back further and further towards the front door.

"Out-ticus. Out-ticus! OUT-TICUS!" He cried out, his rage building every time he repeated the word.

Billy blocked the last spell on a dime, stunned to see Cedric's eyes full of so much unbridled rage, and the sudden raw magic that was pouring out of him, "W-Wait! My dear -son-, I-I could teach you so much-"

Cedric might have been tempted by that offer once upon a time. But it only took one glance at his fallen father to set him straight today. "RRR, OUT-TICUS! OUT-TICUS! GET-THE-BLOODY-HELL-OUT-TICUS!"

The last spell was particularly powerful, fueled by all of Cedric's emotions, and it pushed the evil sorcerer right through the doors and sent him rolling down the stairs to the pavement below. Winifred was just arriving with the fairies at that second, and stepped back out of the way just before they were hit by the soaring sorcerer.

"Oh my!" Winifred gasped, unable to help smiling about it back to the fairies, "It looks like Cedric's taking care of this after all!"

"Hello mumsy!" Cedric greeted her quickly as he passed, then pulled back his wand and pointed it aggressively at Billy, who had just landed at the bottom of the stairs, bloody and bruised. "AND -STAY- THE BLOODY HELL OUT-TICUS-!" He shouted one last time, knocking Billy back with one last powerfully-charged pushing spell, which threw him so far he could barely be seen on the dark night horizon, and soon not at all, as he began to run away before the guards came after him.

"Hmmph!" Cedric glared after his retreating form for a moment, then walked back towards the castle. One step inside, however, and he suddenly realized that he'd overtaxed his usual daily magic output several times over. It hit him pretty hard. His legs turned to noodles underneath him and he fell to the floor, staring at his own hands, which were still gripping the family wand, in shock. "B-Bloody hell... Did I really just do that...?" He whispered to himself.

"Cedric!" Sofia cried, rushing towards him once Billy's spell had worn off. "You did it! You really did it! You saved us all!"

To Cedric's added shock, Sofia threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tight in her gratitude. Over her shoulder, Cedric could see that Roland and Miranda, newly freed from their spells, had gone to help Goodwin, who was just waking up, back to his feet.

Roland and Goodwin whispered back and forth to each other for a moment, then Roland looked up at Cedric and asked aloud, in a state of amazement and just a bit of disbelief, "Cedric... You just saved the castle...?"

Usually Cedric would jump at the offer of praise and adoration, but he literally couldn't jump for anything right now. He could barely will himself to stand, and only with Sofia's help, which she insisted upon, wrapping one of his arms around her shoulders. He was simply too tired and dazed himself to want to do anything but get back to the silence and solitude of his chambers, so with the last of his quick thinking, he deflected and confessed, "Actually, your majesty, if anyone should get the credit for saving the castle today, it's Princess Amber. She sensed something was off about Billy and warned me about him just in the nick of time, just before she herself was put under his spell. If she hadn't, I might just as well have stayed in my room all day..."

Miranda rushed to hug her daughter, "Oh Amber! Thank you so much sweetie!"

James joined in and hugged both his mother and sister, chiming in, "Thanks Amber!"

Sofia smiled at them, then spoke up to her father, "Dad, I think Cedric's really tired after that fight. I'm gonna help him to his room, okay?"

Roland nodded, "Okay, Sofia. And, I'm terribly sorry your birthday went so wrong today, dear. I promise we'll throw another one soon to make up for it."

Sofia gave him a warm, appreciative smile. "Thanks, Dad. It's okay. I'm just glad everyone's safe. I'll go to bed myself after I help Cedric up to his room."

Roland nodded his approval again and Sofia began to help Cedric along up the stairs and around the corridors.

They were almost to his room when her steps suddenly slowed, and she began to speak, "Thank you for saving me today, Cedric... It was so awful, being forced to tell that wretched old man that I thought he was amazing, and that I loved him. Ugh..." She winced just remembering it.

And Cedric burned with shame, knowing the person who had treated this wonderful girl so shabbily was his own biological father. The cretin, he'd never stop hating him for it. "I'm so sorry, Princess Sofia..."

She swallowed against a thick throat, and whispered back, "It was... Even worse, because the person I actually do love was there to hear me say it to him..." She confessed, squeezing the hand on her shoulder and looking up into his eyes with purpose.

Cedric glanced down as he felt his hand being squeezed, the words registering just as he noticed that look in her eyes. His own eyes went wide, and he pulled away from her, gently but quickly, stumbling back against the door to his chambers. His heart was thumping, but not with excitation - With fear. "W-W-What-?" He barely managed to stutter out.

Sofia stayed where she was, but continued to speak honestly, "I'm sorry, Cedric. I know I shouldn't put you on the spot like this, but after how close I came today, to never being able to tell you at all-And after you bravely saved us all like you did, I... I just have to say it! Cedric, I love you..."

She -could- be meaning it in a platonic way, which still would have been pretty uncomfortable to respond to. But Cedric knew, from the way she said those last words to him in a hushed whisper, from the intense way she was looking at him in that moment, that she did -not- mean it in a platonic way...

His heart was jumping out of control and his mind was racing, but other than that the rest of his body was nearly frozen, he was barely even breathing. Sofia opened her mouth to say something else, but that just sent Cedric into a panic, and he suddenly blurted out, "NO. NO, NO, NO..." He even covered his face with his hands and shook his head back and forth for a moment in utter shock.

But then he remembered his manners, and realized that such a reaction would no doubt offend the princess. He quickly pulled his hands away from his face and put them up in front of his chest defensively. "I'm sorry Sofia, I don't mean to be harsh, but I just-NO. It's just NOT possible! I'm thirty-four - Thirty-five," He amended, remembering the year that had been taken from him earlier. "And you're sixteen! I just, absolutely -cannot- allow it... But..." He bit his lip as he slowly took in her reaction. She was listening to him patiently, for the most part calm, but tears had suddenly started to well up in her eyes. The kind of tears she was likely trying very hard to hold back, but could not.

"I -am- sorry to hurt your feelings..." He admitted genuinely, getting a little misty himself. "I think you're a great girl, Sofia, and I truly more flattered than I can say, that someone like you could love someone like me. Please believe me when I say, it's because I actually do love you that I say, I cannot love you the way you want me to right now... Because I -know- there's someone out there much more deserving of your love."

"But-" She started to protest.

However, Cedric just closed his eyes and patiently shook his head once more. "Princess Sofia, please..."

She stopped, took a deep calming breath into her slightly shaking form, then nodded, "I understand, Mister Cedric... I actually, truly do. Even though it hurts, I never expected you to respond any other way, and actually, I'm really glad you did. I'm glad you love me the way you do. I just, felt like I really needed to say it at least once, just in case something happened and I never got the chance again... I love you, Cedric." She repeated once more, wiping her tears as she finally looked away from him, and turned to retreat.

But he spoke up just one last time before she went, and he spoke from the heart. "Thank you, Sofia..."

She stopped, nodded briefly, then ran off down the hallway and around the corner, out of sight. Cedric watched her go with the strangest feelings inside. He somehow felt heavy and guilty, and yet also light as a feather, innocent and pure. How was it even possible for a soul to twist itself into such a pretzel of a dichotomy?

He finally just took a breath, and went to bed. The day had been so incredibly weird, he almost wondered if he'd wake up the next day to find he'd dreamed it all...

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Cedric slept in the next morning as usual, and everyone was happy to let him, until close to noon. That was when the sound of knocking woke Cedric up, but before he had even gotten up to get it, the door opened and Baileywick, along with three other servants, came walking in with various plates of breakfast foods, just about every one you could think of. He barely managed to sit up when they placed the trays holding the plates onto his lap. Then, to his further confusion and alarm, King Roland stepped inside and all the servants, except for Baileywick, shuffled out.

Baileywick closed the door behind them as King Roland addressed his Royal Sorcerer. "Good morning, Cedric! Forgive us for waking you, but I thought the castle's savior deserved a breakfast-feast in bed today!"

Cedric took a calming breath, and looked down at the dozen or so plates and cups that were laid out on the four trays across his legs. "Oh, thank you, your majesty. Really, this is a bit much though..."

Roland waved it off, "Nonsense, eat up! As it was, there is something else I came to speak with you about this morning, Cedric..."

Oh Merlin, there it was. The secret dread that he had carried inside him since Sofia's confession last night, Cedric was sure that's what this had to be about. This lavish breakfast was to be his last meal...

But instead of an execution notice, the King pulled out a different kind of envelope from his pocket, which Cedric was surprised to see had his name written on it in very small, neat calligraphy. Roland went on, "This letter arrived for you earlier this morning. I'm ashamed to admit that I read it already. I am sorry, I know it was wrong of me, but after yesterday's events, I was advised to do so, by Goodwin himself. Especially since you so rarely get mail, and especially because of who claimed to have written the letter..."

Roland finally handed it over to Cedric, who gasped aloud when he got a good look at it and realized for himself who had sent him this rare postage. Queen Elsa of Arendelle herself!

Reaching into the already opened envelope, he pulled out it's contents, and began to read, "Salutations Sir Cedric of Enchancia. I, Queen Elsa of Arendelle, thank you again for your recent assistance in Arendelle's hour of need. Your mother Sarah has been doing well. I am writing to you now because I have a proposition for which I'd appreciate your consideration. As you know, the production of Arendelle's Academy of Magic was completed shortly after you returned from your trip. It's been running smoothly so far, but unfortunately our dear Potions Professor, who was already quite elderly when he took the position, recently passed away in his sleep. I'm afraid there are no other potion masters in Arendelle, so I had to look elsewhere for a replacement. You were the first person to come to my mind, because of the help you've offered to Arendelle in the past, and because I've told that potions was your area of expertise when you were in school. I would be remiss if I did not tell you honestly, however, that if you were to accept my invitation to come work at Arendelle's Academy of Magic, I would require a commitment of at least eight years, preferably ten. You'll be granted a salary (disclosed on a separate attached note) as well as room and board at the school for your work."

He briefly glanced at the separate note with his offered salary - Being a teacher rarely made one a rich man, but Queen Elsa had made sure to be fair and make it worth his while if he accepted. He then went back to reading, "On a more personal note, I wish to tell you that Princess Anna and I have very much enjoyed and appreciated having your mother around the castle. She's a very dear, sweet lady and to be completely honest, she's been a godsend since Anna and her husband Kristoff were blessed with their first daughter. I don't know what we would have done without Sarah's maternal experience. In fact, since our parents tragically passed away years ago, I sometimes think Little Princess Inga thinks of Sarah like a grandmother instead."

"I hope this letter finds you well, and I eagerly await your response. Sincerely, Queen Elsa of Arendelle..." He finished at last, folding up the paper and putting it back in the envelope.

King Roland spoke up once more when he finished, "Of course you're free to make any decision you want to Cedric. I just wanted to let you know a few things either way. First of all, I want you to know that I was wrong about you. I've doubted you for years, but you truly are a -great- sorcerer, Cedric. So I couldn't blame you if you wanted to share your talents with others that need them more. And of course, we would all miss you if you left, and I would hope you'd come back and be my Royal Sorcerer again someday. But no matter what you feel is the right path to take, I wish you well. Please, though, eat your breakfast and take a few days to think it through."

He held out his hand for Cedric to shake, and after he did, the king exited his room, and after one last respectful bow to Cedric, Baileywick followed behind him.

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A few weeks passed since the 'Butt-Face Billy' incident, as James had dubbed it. Cedric avoided Sofia as much as possible, but one day she finally caught up with him in in the halls when he went to get some afternoon tea and cookies.

"Mister Cedric?" She called, and he sighed and waited for her to approach. She went on to inquire, "I heard about the letter you got from Queen Elsa, my Dad told me about it. He also told me that you sent her a reply yesterday..."

Cedric glanced back at her uneasily. "Then, I suppose you heard that I accepted her offer..."

She was pouting a little without realizing it, and he quickly rushed to add, "I didn't decide to do it to get away from you, if that's what you're thinking." He -did- feel it would be best for Sofia for him to put some time and distance between them, but he wasn't about to say that to her. "I spoke with my parents about it, and we all think it would be a good experience for me. I'll get the chance to spend some more time with my biological mother, and I'll be helping Arendelle by training a new potions master to eventually take over for me. I just really feel this is the best thing for me to do..."

She took a soft, quiet sigh and nodded back to him. "I understand Mister Cedric. I just can't believe you're going to be gone for so long. I... I'll really miss you..."

Cedric sighed himself, though it was far more abrasive, and rolled his eyes. He knew he'd have to address this eventually before he left, so it was best to 'rip the bandage' off now. Looking down into her bright blue eyes, he implored her, more candidly than ever, "Sofia, listen to me. I'm going to be uncommonly frank with you... I don't want you to wait for me. I'm not the one for you, I'm nowhere near good enough for you. You're young, and beautiful and smart and talented. I know you're going to meet someone just as good as you someday. So please, promise me you'll look for them, while I'm out there looking for myself?"

Her eyes clearly wanted to protest, but her heart knew he was right. Slowly she glanced down and nodded, "If that's what you want me to do, then... Okay."

Relieved by her wisdom and maturity, Cedric smiled and gently patted her head. "Thank you Princess Sofia. And I want you to know... I'm very proud of you."

She smiled back up at him despite the tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. "Thank you Mister Cedric. I'm really proud of you too. I know you're going to be a great teacher. But, I'll -still- miss you." She insisted stubbornly, "Promise me we'll see each other again someday?"

He couldn't help but get a warm and fuzzy feeling from her attentions. He would never understand what would possess such an amazing girl to love someone like him, but he truly appreciated it more than he could ever say. He couldn't deny that it gave him a certain boost of confidence to have a pretty girl be interested in him, but besides that, it was nothing short of life-affirming to know for certain when someone loves you, especially when it's not a very common occurrence.

"I promise." He told her, and that was a promise he intended to keep. He was eager to meet the fantastic person his princess would someday become.

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Goodwin, Winifred, Baileywick and all of the members of the Enchancian Royal Family went to see Cedric off the day he set sail for Arendelle. He gave his parents a big hug, a firm handshake to Baileywick and the King, and a bow before the Queen and her children. When he got to Sofia, he felt the deep urge to tell her something, but he wasn't sure what would be most appropriate, especially in front of her parents.

Thankfully the princess acted first, reaching into a satchel she was carrying, and pulling out a long, lavender-colored scarf. "Here, I made this for you. Since it's going to be cold in Arendelle..." She trailed off with a small smile.

Cedric smiled appreciatively as he took it from her. "You made it? By hand or with magic?"

"Hehe, a bit of both!" She admitted, her smile stretching a little as she waited eagerly for him to put it on.

He did, and it was warm, and softer than anything he'd ever worn before. He smiled down at her, and even though his throat was tight, he managed to croak back, "Thank you, Sofia... For everything."

He felt heavier than the anchor when he finally got on board. He knew that what he was doing was the right thing for everyone, but it was still more difficult than anything he'd ever had to do before. Every step felt like a mile hurdle, and when he finally stepped onto the ship, the rocking of the boat matched the unease he felt as he looked back at his friends and family, who waved to him sadly.

He waved back, and they continued to wave until they could no longer see each other on the horizon. After that Cedric had to admit, he was terribly lonely on that long boat ride. He didn't seek out the other passengers, he just kept to himself and made sure nobody bothered Wormwood.

Yes, except for tending to Wormy, it was terribly lonely... But at least Sofia's magical scarf kept him warm in that damp and drafty ship, even when they reached the frosty shores of Arendelle. It was a very good scarf, long enough to cover Cedric's ears and face, with enough still left over for Wormy to bundle underneath too.

And then, when he saw his mother Sarah and Queen Elsa, and Princess Anna and all of her family gathered at the port to greet him, smiling, waving and whistling, he didn't feel quite so lonely anymore either.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO


	4. Kingdoms of Hearts

Cedric had been sick with heartache since the pointed tower-tops of Enchancia Castle had disappeared beneath the ocean horizon. He was also literally seasick and could barely bring himself to eat at all during the long, cold voyage. So when the ship finally arrived at the port of Arendelle, although it did his heart good to see so many people waiting to greet him, his already skinny physique had become nearly gaunt.

Queen Elsa had arranged a feast in his honor that night, and although no one said anything at first, it worried everyone how the guest of honor was barely picking at his food. Sarah, who had been seated next to Cedric, was the first to mention it at about halfway through the meal, "Boy, you'll be no use to us or any of the students if you starve to death before the first term starts! Come now, eat up - You haven't even touched the glog-marinated roast! I made that myself and it's an Arendelle specialty, so I won't have you turning your long nose up at it!"

He turned to glare at her for the insult, until he saw the warm smile tucked under her identical long nose. She was only joking with him. Slowly he smiled back and mumbled, "Alright, I'll try it..."

The meat had a spicy-acidic smell to it, and Cedric hadn't been sure he'd like the taste - He'd always been a somewhat picky eater, and like most wizards had a tendency to reach for candy and sweets first before anything else. But since Sarah had gone through the trouble of making it, he forced himself to at least choke down a few bites so she wouldn't be offended.

However, when he finally brought a forkful to his mouth, he was pleasantly surprised to find that it was one of the tastiest roasts he'd ever had. The gravy it was saturated in was heavily spiced with something like apple or tart pear, with plenty of rosemary and garlic cloves. And the meat was so incredibly tender, Cedric realized that Sarah had to have spent the entire day preparing it for them.

He didn't have any trouble finishing his plate after that.

Later in the night when it was time to retire, Sarah led him by candlelight to his room, which she explained was right next to her's. "So if you should need anything, you'll know where I am."

She then proceeded to lead him into his room, pointing out where the toiletries were and explaining that Queen Elsa and Princess Anna had stocked his cabinets full of Winter clothing, even though it was still Summer. You never knew when a freak storm would start brewing in Arendelle, after all.

She left him while he changed into his bedclothes, returning a few moments later with a cup of warmed milk. She handed it to him and then went over to his bed, fluffed his pillows and pulled the covers back for him. He blushed a little as she did so, suddenly realizing for the first time in his life that he might be a little old to still have his mother doing such things for him. But just as that thought occurred to him, he remembered how Winifred had always fussed over him the same way whenever he was around her, and his heart ached all over again missing her.

"You don't have to do all that..." He mumbled as she finished, sipping the milk.

"I know I don't HAVE to!" She snapped back at him, rolling her eyes as she made her way over to him, and brushed some bread crumbs off the front of his robe. "I wanted to, alright? I imagine the boat-ride here was awfully cold... So, I just thought it might be nice to have a warm welcome after that..."

He hid his smile behind the milk-mug and nodded appreciatively. "Thank you..."

She nodded and turned to retreat. But just before she reached the door, she glanced back at him over her shoulder. "Listen... I know I wasn't there for you before. It wasn't anyone's fault, but, all the same, I'd like to be there for you now, if you should ever need me. If you ever need someone to talk to, anything... I'm here." She concluded, a little awkwardly.

Cedric stared at her in a stunned silence for a second or two. Then he took a hesitant step forward, "Well, actually, if you wouldn't mind, there is one more thing I could use before I go to bed..."

"Yes?" She asked immediately.

He put the mug on the nearby chest of drawers, then opened his arms out to her. "A hug?"

She smiled and stepped into his arms, and patted him on the back. "Welcome home, son."

"Thank you, mother."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Eventually Cedric settled in to the new atmosphere, and the next week was quick to arrive. The day before term started, he moved all his things to his new room at the school, and got a look around his new classroom. He double-checked that all his supplies were in their proper places and then retired early so that he'd be rested for the busy morning to come.

Now his first class of the day had started, and he stood in front of the room full of young children, this year's newest additions. There were supposed to be twenty-two children on the roster, fourteen girls and eight boys. But when Cedric had completed the roll call, he noticed something wasn't right. No one was missing though - Actually the exact opposite was the case. There was an extra boy.

He had a sour expression on his face, but he paid closer attention to Cedric's lectures than any of the other students, most of whom seemed to still be too tired from being woken so early to fully appreciate the subtle art of potion-making. Over half the class was unable to successfully complete the simple eye-color changing potion perfectly by the end of class, but that strange boy, whose hair was such a dirty brown that it almost seemed like there might be a bit of moss growing in it, was one of the few that did, and his potion was the best out of all of them. The potion successfully changed his vivid forest-green eyes to the desired shade of blue perfectly. The other students he didn't even let try out their potions, for fear they might blind themselves.

The older students fared slightly better, but not by much. Potion-making was unfortunately not one of the more popular forms of magic. It wasn't as flashy or whiz-bang as other kinds of magic. Now, Cedric liked flashy and whiz-bang just as much as the next person, but there was something extremely satisfying about concocting a magic brew - All the interesting scents the ingredients came in and the incredible effects they could have on a body. If you couldn't appreciate potions, then you have no respect for one of the oldest and most noble forms of magic.

So of course Cedric took interest in the strange boy who wasn't supposed to be there, and consulted with the other professors about it at lunch.

Professor Posey, a plump woman with pretty pink cheeks and strawberry blonde hair, was the Magical Botany teacher, and she had informed him, "Oh, I think I know who he is... I've seen him coming in and out of houses on Elder Street a few times, covered in soot. I think he's a chimney-sweep. Or perhaps he sells firewood...?"

"Well he can't JUST be a chimney sweep if he's here." Cedric pointed out, "So why isn't he on the list?"

"Well..." Posey replied quietly, "I do have ONE idea... You see, when Arendelle decided to become a magic-safe nation, most of our people agreed with the idea. But a few families vehemently opposed it. Most of them left because of the divide, but a few of the poorer families were unable to do so. Parents have to enroll their children to the Academy, but if a magical child were born to one of these prejudiced individuals, I can imagine they might not want the child to attend... "

"Well, what are we supposed to do?" Cedric asked helplessly. "We're not going to just kick him out, are we? He's one of the only truly talented potion-makers in any of my classes!"

Posey looked away and sighed, "I dearly hope not. He's a terribly clever magical botanist too. Between that and his penchant for potions he could have a very promising future in sorcery..."

The astronomy teacher Professor Starr, a stern-looking older man with long white hair tied into a ponytail at the nape of his neck, interrupted them, "But it's not up to us. We can't keep the boy here without parental approval. If his guardian refuses to let him attend, that's all there is to it."

Well that might have been 'all there was to it' to Professor Starr, who already had two promising students fiercely competing to fill his spot when he retired, but Cedric wasn't about to let the issue die down so quickly. So before lunch period was up he asked Svetlana Strand, a surprisingly beautiful but also considerably powerful young sorceress with golden yellow locks, who was also the Headmaster, Divination Professor and granddaughter of Queen Elsa's oldest and most trusted steward, "Isn't there anything we can do, Headmaster Strand?"

"Well..." She began, and already Cedric didn't like the doubtful tone. "We could try speaking to his guardian and see if they'll allow it... But to be frank, I'm afraid I already have a bad feeling about this, Professor Cedric..." And coming from a seer, that actually meant something.

"We have to try." He insisted, and she nodded in kind.

Later that day when most of the classes were over, the professors let the students out into the courtyard for their free time before dinner, their final astronomy class after dark, and then bed. They were discussing the mystery boy among themselves, and watching him as he sat by himself, behind a tree.

"Well, he's got a little talent for Charms, I suppose..." The soft-spoken Professor Anthea Violante, the lovely wife of a general and mother of three, who had brown eyes, hair and skin, and often dressed in different shades of purple, charitably spoke of the boy. But then she felt compelled to add hesitantly, "Honestly though, I'd say he's only average..."

"Average in charms? Most children are good with charms!" The blustery Transfiguration Professor Borace Baum, an imposingly big and tall but strangely hairless man who wore thick fur coats and always had to keep a furry hat on his cold, bald head, bellowed deeply as he pushed up his spectacles, "And he's hopeless in my class! Wasn't even able to transform a cricket into a thimble!"

Headmaster Strand replied firmly, "We can't afford to sqaunder even small amounts of magical talent, Professor Baum... But the anti-social behavior is a problem..." She pointed out as a little blonde first year boy began to approach the dirty urchin.

He seemed to be asking if the boy wanted to play, but the strange boy shrank away. The smaller boy took another step towards him, and the slightly taller one snapped at him, "Leave me alone!"

The blonde boy's older sister immediately rushed over and scolded the stranger, "YOU leave him alone! He was just trying to be nice!"

A few of the other students stopped what they were doing and stared. Under their judgmental eyes, the boy lost his nerve and darted out of the courtyard so fast he almost tripped once. He ran out of the front gates and disappeared behind the corner.

The other professors weren't quite sure what to do at first, but Cedric immediately rushed to follow the boy before he lost him completely. After seeing him go, Headmaster Strand also followed after him.

They made sure not to alert the boy that they were following him, and stayed a short distance behind. After a while they came into the poorer streets of Arendelle, where everything seemed dirtier and more gray than usual. The boy stepped into an alleyway, and while Cedric and Svetlana waited for him, he had procured a bundle of wood on his back and began heading down the street once more.

After a while they came upon a little house. A young woman and two much younger girls were sitting on the porch, sewing plain black dresses with small, bony hands. Just as the boy was about to enter, the older girl stopped him, and said something quietly. The boy sighed, nodded, and sat down on the porch with his head in his hands instead of going inside.

Cedric and Svetlana began to approach the boy, but as soon as he saw the two of them his eyes went wide, and he quickly ran up to them with his hands out to push them back. "Please, I'm so sorry I disturbed your classes! I promise I won't come back, just please don't tell my father I went there!"

"Young man, please calm down." Svetlana tried to soothe him, but sternly. "We didn't come here to try and get you in trouble. We came because we're concerned about you. Do you think you could spare us a few moments to talk?"

The boy glanced hesitantly back at the house, then back at them, "Yeah, alright. He'll probably be busy for a while. Lets just walk down the street a bit, just in case he comes out..." He added, shuffling away. After raising an eyebrow at Svetlana, Cedric followed after him.

Once they were a fair distance away, the boy awkwardly rubbed his arm and looked up at them, "I'm sorry..." He repeated, "I heard about the new school for magical kids, and I just wanted to know what it was like to go, for just one day... But I know you have to have your parent's approval to go, and my dad will never go for it. In fact, he'd be really, -seriously- furious if he found out I went there today instead of selling firewood, like I was supposed to... My dad hates magic, he thinks it's the work of the devil, so he'd probably tan my hide if he found out I was learning it. Plus, my sisters work their hands to the bone everyday to help us get by. They'd starve if I stopped working to go to school everyday... So you see, I am sorry for wasting your time, but I can't go back to your school..."

Cedric and Svetlana were left staring in the wake of the boy's serious speech. Cedric was the first to recover, though barely. "Be honest, boy... Does your father hit you often?"

The boy looked away, "N-No... Not really..." He amended. "Because I usually do what he says, and keep out of his way... But I'm not going to test it. My father hates me..."

Cedric's mouth fell open, "Why do you think your own father hates you? Also, I suppose we should ask you your name..."

"It's Lars. Lars Garth Bartholomeus." The no-longer-nameless boy answered, shoving his hands into his pockets. "And, he just always has... My older sister's mother, his first wife, she left him because of me. He tried to tell her that my mother was a forest spirit that had bewitched him and left him with me, but she didn't believe him..."

"Who would..." Cedric mumbled under his breath, although the claim did cause him to take a second look at that tinge of green in the boy's brown hair. He shook it off and continued, "Well that's no good reason at all! Headmaster Strand, isn't there anything we can do? I just can't stand to see a magical education be squandered!"

"I know how you feel, Cedric... But without his father's permission, it would be against the law to take him anywhere..." Svetlana quietly reminded him.

"Yes," Cedric agreed shortly, "But his father probably wouldn't care where he was as long as he was selling something, isn't that right Lars? And that drafty castle could always use more firewood. So, say Lars were to come by right after all our other classes, but before supper, and make a firewood delivery? He should be able to stay at least long enough for a personal potions and magical botany class from Posey and me, and maybe a charms class once in a while if Professor Violante can manage it? It won't be a complete or formal magical education, but it should be enough to get him by in the real world with the natural talents he has."

The boy's green eyes went wide with hope and he looked to Svetlana, who in turn smiled at him and nodded, "I think that would be fine."

The child gasped with excitement, but then looked back over at Cedric in slight confusion, "But... Why would you do something so nice for me...?"

Cedric almost wanted to smile, as he understood his confusion well. But he didn't, he forced a grim line on his lips instead. "Magical folk have to look out for each other, and we hate to see a magical child go without an education. That's all there is to it. BUT, if you should ever think that I'm naive just because I just got off the boat, think again. If I EVER find anything missing after one of our classes, you'll be out before you know it! Understood?"

Lars nodded right away and then bowed deeply to the two of them, "Yes sir! Thank you so much, sir! Madam! I promise I'll be a good pupil!"

Svetlana nodded and stepped around the boy, "Then we shall see you at this time every weekday after this, Lars."

Cedric finally allowed him a small smile, "Work hard, Mister Bartholomeus."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Lars did indeed show up faithfully every day after the rest of the children had their classes to have his own, and he did indeed work hard. He soaked up every piece of knowledge Cedric and Posey had to offer him, and was always extra respectful whenever the lovely, lavender-clad Lady Anthea showed up with all her Charms.

At the end of the first school week, Sarah made a surprise visit to Cedric after the end of his classes. She blinked in surprise to see one of the students still in his class. "Oh, I'm sorry, am I interrupting-?"

"Of course not, mother. Come in." Cedric called back to her. "This is Lars. You could say he's my apprentice."

She stepped in, carrying a basket with her, which she laid down on his desk. "I brought you some sweet buns from the castle..."

Cedric glanced over at Lars, who despite being somewhat tall was also appallingly skinny. Taking one of the buns out for himself, Cedric then handed the rest of the basket over to Lars, who took it in shock, staring for just a minute before rushing to sit down and enjoy the contents.

From then on, Sarah continued to find another odds and ends from the castle every week to bring. Between that and Cedric's leftover's from lunch, they managed to put some meat on the Bartholomeus boy's scrawny bones.

OoOoOoOoOooOoOoOoOoOoO

Later that year when the Winter holidays approached (It was called Wassailia in Enchancia, Yuletide or Christmas to those in Arendelle) the students were dismissed for a few weeks to spend with their families. Cedric had been sure to send Lars home with extra food from the castle banquet, though he still worried about the boy. But Sarah had urged him to come to the castle for a few days too, and so he had accepted.

She brought some tea for the two of them to take in his room. He showed her a few simple magic tricks while she poured their tea, levitating their cookies and pulling out her seat for her with magic.

"Milk?" She asked.

"Just a splash." He nodded, floating a buttery biscuit over to his open mouth and snapping the coin-shaped disc in half.

The conversation was more or less this mundane for a short while, but then out of the blue Sarah asked him, "So, have there been any ladies to catch your eye, Cedric?"

He coughed, choking on a biscuit and burning with a blush as he sputtered back, "W-Wha-?"

"Oh come now!" She insisted shamelessly, and with a small grin. "You'd tell your mother, wouldn't you?"

"I'm not so sure I would!" He squeaked back, averting his eyes. "And anyways, what are you, a gossiping school-girl?"

Sarah had herself a laugh over that and replied semi-sarcastically, "What if I am? Look at me, I'm having biscuits and tea with a young man! If that's not what a school-girl would do, what is?"

Cedric smirked back at her, and rolled his eyes in amusement. "Sorry Sarah, but you probably shouldn't expect any grandchildren from me. It's not that I don't find some ladies to be attractive, I do... I just don't think I could ever actually tell them if I did... I'd be too nervous. And I'm sure none of them would think of me as a catch, either."

"Oh come now!" She insisted, "What about that Princess you told me about once? The one that called you 'sensational'?"

Cedric's blush went as bright red as possible, remembering that that was the one stark exception to his assumption. But he quickly denied as he did before, "No, no, NO-I suppose I should mention now that the Princess in question was seven years old when she said that..."

Sarah snorted, "Oh, so then she probably said that while you were doing tricks at her birthday party?" She semi-correctly guessed, then quickly amended, "Well that's all right. Turns out your Aunt Dana May is alive and well! Queen Elsa helped me find her, she's been living in Germany. She's got two daughters named Lilian Lynn and Donna, and Donna's got a son named Don. They're busy this holiday but Dana said she plans to visit next Summer. Won't that be nice, Cedric?"

He smiled and nodded, "Yes, it should be nice to meet my relatives. I must say though..." He remarked casually, thinking nothing of the passing remark that floated through his mind and out his lips, not processing what it might sound like aloud. "I'm surprised you never had any other children besides me. I mean, it's just..." He added when he noticed she seemed a bit taken aback by his words, "You're so maternal..."

He glanced back up at her innocently, and was shocked to find that there were tears gathering in her eyes. "M-Mother...?"

She quickly got up from her seat, and walked over to the fireplace, turning her back to him.

His heart suddenly felt heavy. "S-Sarah? Are you alright?"

She reached up and wiped at her eyes with her sleeve. "It's nothing, don't concern yourself..."

He quickly put down his tea and walked over to her, sitting down beside but slightly behind her, giving her privacy and space. "It's obviously not nothing. I'm sorry if I said something wrong..."

She was quiet for a moment as more tears flowed, and as much as she tried to stop them with her sleeve, they still kept flowing. Finally after a few more minutes of weeping and wiping, she began to speak in a quivering voice, "Oh, I don't even know why I'm crying... It was, s-so long ago..."

"What was so long ago...?" He quietly inquired, deeply concerned for her.

She was silent once more at first. Cedric patiently waited for her to speak and didn't pressure her to do so. Eventually she began, slowly and timidly, "M-My... Former husband..."

Cedric's heart plummeted at the tone in her voice, remembering what she'd told him before of the man in question. He continued to listen in silence, and it was a while again before she continued, in a whisper, "I avoided him, for the most part... But there were a few times, in the beginning of the marriage, when I could not..." She seemed to be finding it difficult to form the words and force them out, and Cedric felt pretty much the same way, frozen with horror.

"...I became pregnant once." She forced herself to go on past the hard lump in her throat. "And I wanted nothing more in the world than not to be... I cursed my body and the body within it. I hated us both, and I wished that the both of us would die. B-But... Only he did..." She barely spoke the last words at all, they were so quiet.

Cedric stared down at the maroon and gold carpet underneath his knees while she began to laugh a little, softly but humorlessly. "I felt so horrible about it, though I don't know why. It was what I had wished for, after all... I suppose that's why though. I felt like it was my fault it had happened. And maybe... Maybe it was because I was so guilty for what I had wished for, that I resigned myself to my fate after that. Although my husband found someone else to bother, and I was only too happy to keep my nose out of it. I was like that for a long time... Until I met you again, Cedric, dear..."

She finally looked back at him, smiling sincerely through her tears. "I know I have no right to claim you, but... You're the best thing I ever did with my life..."

He finally scooted over to her and wrapped an arm around her back, leaning his head onto her shoulder. "You should give yourself more credit, mum. You might not have raised the Royal Sorcerer of Enchancia, but you're helping to raise the Princess of Arendelle. That's certainly something!"

"Ohoho!" She shoved him playfully but then leaned her head back against his. "You're wonderful, my boy. Too wonderful not to find someone who will see you for how wonderful you are!" She insisted. "So, you ought to be more confident in yourself!"

"Hmm, you're right." Cedric replied coyly, causing his elder to raise an eyebrow at him. "Queen Elsa is rather extraordinary..."

She gawked at him, "That might be a bit TOO ambitious, son..." He snorted back in amusement, showing he was kidding, and she sighed in relief, "But what about Lady Strand? She's very beautiful too, isn't she?"

Cedric shook his head, "Oh mother, you -really- don't know Headmaster Strand. I think it might actually be easier to court the Ice Queen."

"Do you really think that?"

"...Well, no." He admitted with a grin, "But the point is about the same. Headmaster Strand might seem warmer and more friendly than the Queen, and she is with children and most half-decent people. But because of her psychic abilities she dislikes physical contact most of the time, with only a few exceptions like her mother and father and other people who are very close to her. It makes her have visions sometimes when she touches other people though. So it's pretty much a given that she's not interested in courtship."

"Oh..." Sarah replied, finally getting it. "Well still, all the same, my dear - If you prefer to be alone too, that's completely fine. But you know, as your mother, I can't help but truly hope you find someone someday who loves you for the sensational fellow you are, who inspires you to love them back..."

Cedric smiled and glanced away, remembering that one person who had done just that, and hoping she was happy, wherever she was now. "Hmm. Perhaps someday, I suppose. Stranger things have happened..."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Princess Amber, Prince James and Princess Sofia had all recently graduated from Royal Prep at the age of eighteen, and had to then decide what they would do thereafter. Princess Amber was born first before James and therefore, by Enchancian Law, was the rightful heir before him. In many other countries James or any other boy would always be given the throne before her, and it had been that way in Enchancia once long before, but not now.

Besides that too, James had decided after all that he didn't really want to be King, at least not so much to insist upon on. He much preferred his knight training, and he had expressed to the family that he wanted to take the final steps to become a full-fledged knight. King Roland had accepted this, and Amber, who had become a much more mature and much less selfish person over the years thanks to Sofia's influence, still accepted her father's decision to enroll her into the Finishing School for Queens with her usual grace - By squealing with joy.

Then it was Sofia's turn to decide, and she admitted that she wasn't really sure yet what she wanted to do. Miranda supported her, of course. She said it was fine for kids to take a year off to decided. Roland agreed, and they didn't pressure her to make up her mind right away.

During that year, Tilly and her then husband Sir Bartleby arrived for a visit. Finding Sofia to be the only chick left in the nest, Tilly commented, "I do agree that children should take some time to themselves, but at the same time it does no good to dilly-dally! That's why I'd like to make a proposal, actually."

" A proposal?" Roland, Miranda and Sofia all parroted after her.

"Yes!" Tilly clapped her hands. "Sofia, how would you like to come along with me on my travels for a couple of years or so, and study magic from me personally?"

Sofia's mouth dropped. It was considered a great honor to a student for a master magician to offer to share their secrets with them, but it was on a completely different level with Tilly, who had never done such a thing for anyone before. She was well known for being a free spirit, completely untethered to any one place or person for long. The only exception to that was Sir Bartleby, but that was only because he was able to keep up with her, not because she wished to stop for him.

But plenty of people aren't the type to completely understand that, and even Miranda mistakenly inquired, "Are you sure, Tilly? I mean, it's just, don't you and Bartleby, er..." She faltered there and blushed a bit, which caused Tilly to burst out into laughter.

"I think I know what you're getting at here, Miranda! Sir Bartleby and I have already discussed this and agreed that neither of us want children of our own. That's why I'd really like to pass my magic down to Sofia, if she'd like to accompany me for a while!"

"Oh, that sounds SO wizz-bang! Can I mom, dad, please?" Sofia begged, bouncing up and down.

Roland and Miranda glanced at each other, then both nodded. "Of course." Miranda answered.

"But," Roland added, "Just out of curiosity Sis, where exactly would you be taking Sofia?"

Matilda tapped her boot with the end of her umbrella as she thought. "Well, I'm not sure about -exactly- just yet, but I hear America is the place to be! I say we go sight-seeing around the States for a while, then maybe take a tour through Rome, Greece, Egypt, what have you! And I'll have her back home before she's a spinster! How does all that sound?"

Sofia blushed and giggled, "It sounds amazing! I can't wait!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Though Sofia rejoiced, back in Arendelle Cedric was more worried than he'd been in years. Wormwood had been up in age years ago, so it didn't really surprise him, but his bird friend hadn't been himself lately. He'd gone blind in one eye earlier that year, so he didn't go out as much as he used to. Cedric had long stopped using his old friend in spells like he did when he was a bratty, careless child, and nowadays he even went out of his way trying to make the old raven more comfortable.

But recently, Wormwood had unexpectedly started going out much longer than he usually would. When he'd started getting old, he'd also started restricting his time outside to only about half an hour at a time, so as not to chill his old bird-bones. In the last few days, however, he had started going out for two to three hours at a time, and when he finally did return to Cedric's tower, he always looked distracted, constantly glancing back out and pecking at the window.

So when Cedric let him out the next day, since it was Sunday and classes were out, he decided to follow the bird. When he hopped out of the window, Cedric gathered a bewitched broomstick and took off through the window too. Wormwood didn't fly as quickly as he used to with his blind eye though, so Cedric flew at a slow pace to keep up behind him.

He flew over some housetops and through a few streets. When they were nearly on the outskirts of town, Wormy entered an alleyway behind a second-rate restaurant, where they threw out scraps of meat and other odds and ends from their meals.

At first Cedric held his nose, expecting that the raven had come to pick at the scraps. But instead when the bird landed, it hopped over behind the garbage can, and cawed expectantly.

Cedric's eyes widened as a little white and gray ball of fluff appeared from behind the can. A dog. A pup... Perhaps, a...?

Cedric landed down on the ground, and stepped around to get a better look. When the pup noticed him, it cowered back, burrowing against it's mother on the other side of the trash heap.

The sorcerer's eyes once again went wide with shock as he processed the sight in front of him. The mother dog, which in appearance seemed definitely more like a wolf, was clearly dead. Lord knows what she was doing away from her pack, or what she had died from, but she was definitely dead. She was completely stiff and her tongue was hanging out, and there were flies all around her. She hadn't been dead long enough yet to rot significantly, at least not in the winter cold, but that wouldn't be the case for much longer.

The pup, lord knows how it wasn't also dead. It seemed just barely old enough to eat the scraps instead of being dependent on it's mother's milk. But the pup was rather skinny, and it had an eye infection which would be a very nasty problem if it continued to go untreated.

Wormwood looked back at Cedric and cawed again, nodding back over at the pup. He seemed very tired, hoping his normally dense human would get it just this once. Cedric raised an eyebrow back at him, "Are you... Friends, with this dog?"

"Caw." Wormwood nodded with relief, hopping slowly over to the pup, where he rustled his wings a bit, seemingly communicating with the pup the way animals do sometimes.

After listening to the raven for a short while, the lupine pup looked up at Cedric and cocked it's head, unsure.

Cedric wasn't entirely sure about the situation either. He could honestly say that he had never in his life, not once, tried to take home a stray. He'd never been that type, and he had Wormy, who had himself always been a solitary animal before this.

But it was clear what Wormy was asking him to do now. Hesitantly bending down in front of the pup, Cedric held his nose with one hand and beckoned him with the other, "Come on now, dog. You're sure to die if you stay here. Come with me, and we'll... Find something to do with you, I suppose..."

The puppy shrank away at first, until Wormwood hopped into Cedric's shoulder and cawed insistently at him. Then the little wolf finally began to inch forward, slowly.

Cedric waited for him for a moment, but it was cold and smelly, so when the pup was finally close enough Cedric scooped him up, tucking him under one arm and using the other to grip his broomstick as he got back on and began to fly. Frightened but attracted to Cedric's body heat, the pup burrowed against his chest.

He didn't go back to the school at first. The Academy approved certain animal companions, but dogs and especially wolves were not on that list. It was hardly a better option, but Cedric ended up going towards Arendelle Castle, through the servant's entrance in the back, which his mother had showed him not long after he arrived.

Tucking the pup inside of his robes, Cedric left his broomstick in a cupboard and went to seek out his mother. It didn't take long, she was right where he'd expected she'd be, in the kitchen making something in a pot that looked strange but smelled tasty. Though Cedric's stomach growled, he ignored the food went straight to Sarah, "Mother, I need your help with something..."

She glanced over at him, a little worried but mostly interested by the strangely shy look on her son's face. "What's the matter, Cedric?"

He avoided her eyes directly at first, "Would it be alright if we went to your room to speak...?"

She raised an eyebrow at his strange request, but shrugged it off and motioned for him to follow. When they got to her room, she inquired as soon as the door had closed, "Alright then, what's all this about?"

Blushing, Cedric reached into his robes and pulled out the pup, holding him out for Sarah to see, and as soon as he had, she at first gasped, then burst out into laughter. "Oh my heavens boy! What on Earth-?"

"I know, I know!" Cedric rolled his eyes upwards and sighed dramatically. "Bringing strays home is for children! But Wormwood has been worrying over this dog, because the mother..." He trailed off, feeling guilty about saying it around the pup, even if it couldn't understand. "Well, he's all alone, and I just couldn't leave him there in the cold..."

Sarah smiled warmly at him. "Oh Cedric... What a kind-hearted young man you are. I don't know how much we can do for him... But, we'll do what we can."

Cedric beamed back at her, "Thank you, mother."

"Aye, aye." She shook away his gratitude. "Leave him here a minute and help me get some medicine and rags together, and we'll see what we can do about that eye. I can't guarantee you he'll survive the next few weeks of Winter after what he's been through, but he'll be a lot more likely to if that eye heals up..."

Cedric nodded and placed the pup down on the rug by Sarah's bed. Wormwood hopped off of his shoulder to stay with the dog, and Cedric again wondered just what had come over the normally solitary bird.

After collecting some old linen and some herbs from the garden, Cedric and Sarah returned to her room. Cedric mentioned to her as they approached her door, "I swear, I've never brought an animal home before! Have you?"

She shook her head. "No, come to mention it, I never did either. But if I ever did it certainly wouldn't have been a wolf pup! To be completely honest, Cedric, your grandfather probably would have taken it straight to the lake, if you know what I mean!"

"Mother!" Cedric shushed her as she began to open the door, again, as if the pup could hear it and be offended.

But then suddenly, to both of the human's deep shock, as soon as they opened the door they were temporarily blinded by an almost painfully bright, lavender-tinted light. When the light faded back to it's source, Cedric was shocked to find that it had come from Wormwood, who had just taken his beak back from the puppy's forehead. The light sparked from the raven's beak and traveled into the pup's infected eye. Seconds later, the pus and the puffiness of the infection had faded away along with the strange, magical light.

"Wha-Cedric!" Sarah exclaimed, clutching the basket of herbs with fear. "Is your raven magical too?"

Cedric stared, just as shocked and confused as she was. "I..." He began doubtfully, but then paused as an old memory passed by his mind's eye. He suddenly remembered when his father had first given him Wormwood, when he had just started primary school. Goodwin had told him, 'He's a -very- special bird, Cedric...'

Then, to Cedric's deep shock, Wormwood began to wheeze and cough haggardly as soon as the light had faded from him, and he wobbled unsteadily on his feet. The pup sniffed at him in concern, but Cedric pushed him back to inspect his faithful old companion himself. "Wormy, what's wrong...?"

He scooped up the raven into his hands, shivering to realize how dreadfully limp the bird was. Wormwood looked up at him tiredly, but somehow, his one good eye seemed to reflect feelings of pride and accomplishment. "Wormwood, what's happening to you? Sarah, we need to help him!"

Sarah raised a sympathetic brow at the back of her son. "Cedric, my dear, how old is that bird...?"

"What? Oh, I don't know! I got him when I started primary, so... Thirty-seven, maybe thirty-eight years?"

His mother's mouth dropped, and she was quiet for a minute. Finally after a few unsuccessful tries at speech, she managed to mumble, "Cedric... I'm not sure if I can say this any more gently, but... I've never heard of a raven living so long... I'm not sure if there's anything we can do for him..."

Though there was much pain in Cedric's brown eyes, Wormwood's black and grey beads seemed only to be content with his present situation, as if a deep wisdom had come over him that only those who have come to accept the inevitability of their fates will ever know. He cawed weakly up at his old master, who again remembered the day that his companion had come into his life. The day he first remembered his father's hair going gray, well before Winifred's...

"Goodwin..." Cedric mumbled weakly, putting together the old puzzle pieces of his memory and squinting to make sense of the image. "My father... He used life transference magic on you, didn't he? He put some of his life energy into you, so that you'd live a longer life... To make sure I didn't hurt you too much like the little idiot I was, and to keep me happy longer... And now, you've given that magical energy to heal him, haven't you?"

Wormwood nodded peacefully, but Cedric's inner turmoil continued to brew, and tears welled in his eyes. "But Wormy... Why...?"

Wormwood let out a short, cackle-like caw. Humans were so terribly simple-minded sometimes, and needlessly emotional. The magic might have kept him alive just a little bit longer, but his time on this planet had come and gone. It was better to go this way, to give the magic to someone else who needed it - After all, he couldn't take it with him.

Sarah patted Cedric on the shoulder, "I'm so sorry, dear... Perhaps, he might like to get comfortable on a pillow, and watch the snow outside the windowsill...?"

Cedric nodded slowly, taking Wormwood to her window just as she had suggested, but keeping him in his arms instead. The shiny black feathers reflected Cedric's form as the bird's chest rose and fell while he breathed. After a while that motion started to get slower, and slower. By the time night had fallen, he wasn't moving anymore.

The pup came and settled next to Cedric's feet. When the moon had risen and the sorcerer's tears finally began to fall, the wolf joined him in a mournful howl.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

It was 1869, Knoxville, Tennessee, and Tilly and Sofia had been invited to a ball. Normally Tilly didn't burden either herself or Sofia with fancy shin-digs that neither really wanted to attend, but this was the New Writer's Ball, an event hosted by the publishers of Godey's Lady's Book, Sofia's favorite magazine. All the newest writers were being shown off, and Sofia was eager to meet them all.

But not long after they had arrived, Sofia started to wonder if it was a good idea after all. When she tried to talk with many of the writer's in attendance, often they were rather snobby about their intellect, trying to prove they were each smarter and more sophisticated than the others. Sofia soon grew bored of it and began to hang back around the edges of the party instead.

As she did so, she came to notice another young lady sitting by the walls. She had dark hair curled into the latest fashion, and a fine dress to wear, but somehow she seemed a little out of place, particularly because she was writing on a pad instead of joining in the festivities. So, naturally, Sofia went straight to her.

"Hello!" She chirped with a big, bright smile. "My name is Sofia! Are you a new writer too? I hope you don't mind me saying, but you must be awfully busy, if you'd rather work than enjoy the party."

The young woman, who seemed to be Sofia's age, shrugged. "I believe a party is only as good as the company it keeps. I'd say nothing ill of anyone in attendance, but they're just not my type of people... And, to be honest, I AM rather busy. Many of these other writer's were born into money, and they do it for fun. But I don't have that luxury... I am sorry though, I shouldn't speak so negatively. My name is Frances Eliza Hodgson, pleased to meet you, Sofia."

Sofia gasped, "Wait, I've heard of you! I love your work! You're new to Godey's, but you're easily my favorite by far! I'm sorry, I won't disturb you any more if you're busy, I just want you to know that I think you're fantastic!"

Frances smiled softly and nodded slowly, "Thank you, Miss Sofia. But please, don't go just yet. I shouldn't be so rude. I'm afraid I've just had a lot on my mind lately..."

Sofia paused and then sat down next to her. "Are you okay? Would you like to talk about it?"

The young woman sighed, looking down at her lap. "It's just... My mother hasn't been well lately. But, that's why I have to keep writing." She tapped her notepad a few times in demonstration. "I've made more money doing this than any other job I've had before! So maybe, if I keep writing, if I write enough - Maybe I can take my mother to a good hospital, and they'll make her well again..."

"I'm so sorry..." Sofia mumbled back to her with sad eyes. "I hope your mother gets well too... I'm sure she will!" She added, trying to remain positive and lift the other woman's spirits.

Frances continued to smile, even though her eyes shined with tears. "Thank you Sofia... Pray tell me though - Can such a lovely, kind-hearted girl as yourself really exist, or are you an angel in disguise?"

Sofia giggled, "Oh Frances! You're too nice! Of course I'm not an angel, although, to be honest, I actually am a princess..."

The other woman's eyes went wide. "A princess? Truly? My, that IS something! To be completely honest with you though, I was born in England, but I've been living in America so long that I've adopted many of their ways and manners. Particularly a distaste for the system of monarchy..."

The princess sighed, "I actually know just what you mean. I wasn't born into royalty, my father the king married my mother, who was a commoner when I was a girl. I had to learn a lot of things that were very different than what I was used to. And by far, the most frustrating part about that was putting up with all the clueless royals. Not all of them are like that, of course, but some of them could be SO out of touch with regular people, it could get frustrating sometimes... Personally though, I believe every girl deserves the same respect and care that a princess would get. No matter how rich, or how old or how pretty or how smart - I say every girl is a princess!"

Frances stared openly at the strange, unbelieveably good girl, and slowly smiled, inspired. "Princess Sofia - If you'd agree to it, I believe I should like to write a story about someone like you someday! I can't say it will be soon, since I am terribly busy, but someday I'd like to write a story about a princess, who believes all girls are princesses too! Oh, but," She paused as something occurred to her. "I suppose you might like me to give the character a different name though? Just in case, I wouldn't want you to get in trouble for any reason..."

Sofia nodded, "That's a good idea, and I would love for you to write a book like that! Let me see... Well, I have a friend who has a mother named Sarah? I always thought that was a pretty name!"

"Princess Sara?" Frances repeated, the spelling of the name a bit different in her mind's eye. "That sounds lovely! I shall surely write a story about this 'Little Princess' named Sara someday! So keep your eye out for it, alright Princess Sofia?"

"Definitely!" Sofia grinned, getting up and giving her companion a curtsy. "But for now - Would you like to come have a dance with me, Princess Frances?"

Ohoho!" Frances grinned back at her and put her notepad down. "Why not!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"I'm not naming you until I know if I can keep you for sure." Cedric sternly told the pup when it woke him up the next morning, licking his face, especially his nose, which he then also tried to nip with his sharp little wolf-teeth, until Cedric had promptly smacked him on his snout for it. "And if you do that again, I'm sure I won't want to!"

The pup had the good sense to look briefly ashamed, but quickly got over it and began trying to lick the big hairless wolf's strange paw. Cedric picked him up by the scruff of the neck and put him down on the floor while he began to get dressed. He'd stayed the night next door to his mother at the castle, and had buried his old friend in the garden under the light of the full moon, but now he had to be on his way back to the academy for class.

There soon came a knock at his door, and as he expected Sarah was on the other side, carrying a tray with a plate of ham and eggs, and a saucer of milk. "Oh, that looks good, mum-" He began, but then paused as she passed him, bent down and placed the tray on the floor for the pup, who, naturally, 'wolfed' it down. Cedric raised an eyebrow, "...Am I to assume I'll be having the chopped liver?"

She smacked him in the chest as she passed him again, "Oh quit being so melodramatic! I made you a plate too!" She informed him, going outside and bringing in another tray with more of the same, except with his milk in a glass instead of a saucer.

He accepted it with a sheepish smile, "Thank you, mum!"

He ate quickly, as the sun had now risen, then tucked the pup into his robes, retrieved his broom, and then went on his way back to the academy. When he arrived, the children were still at breakfast, but he barely had enough time to grab an extra piece of ham from the morning banquet, then store the pup and the ham in his private office before they began shuffling into his classroom for the first period.

Of course he was rather distracted all day because of it, worrying that the dog might make a mess by the time he came to retrieve him again. And sure enough he had, but Cedric wasn't too harsh on him for it since the pup was just that - A baby dog. So he cleaned it up dutifully, with only a mild glare for the ripped throw-pillow.

Finally, since class was now out, Cedric tucked the pup away once more and went to seek out Headmaster Strand. He found her out by the front steps of the castle, gazing at the students as they socialized out on the courtyard. "Headmaster, could I please trouble you for a few moments of your time?"

"Of course, Professor Goodwin." She smiled back at him, "What do you need?"

He took a deep breath before he could bring himself to answer, "Well... I seem to have very recently found myself in a rather strange sort of situation..."

Her smile faltered just a tad, and she raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What makes you say that?"

Squirming a bit, he pulled the pup out of his robes, held him out to her, and explained, rather in a huff, "My longtime pet and companion Wormwood the Raven passed away last night but right before he did so he saved this little pup by leading me to him in the cold, I know the academy doesn't allow dogs and of course I won't keep him if it's against the rules but I don't know what else to do with him, he'll probably die if I put him back on the streets or in the wild and I don't want that kind of thing hanging on my head!"

Svetlana continued to raise a brow at him as he gasped and huffed after his tirade, then glanced down at the pup, who stuck his tongue out and licked the air in front of her face, and woofed at her. She couldn't help but smile at the cute baby animal, and to Cedric's deep shock, she reached out and took the pup out of his hands, her fingers brushing against his - In all the years he'd known her, that was the first time she'd ever done so.

She then brought the pup to her chest, playing with the soft fur on his belly. "You poor thing... I do deeply sympathize with you, my dear. But to be honest I'm not so sure what to do, myself. If I had ever tried to bring a wolf pup home to my father, he probably would have taken you out to the lake, if you know what I mean." The pup looked a little concerned, so she hurried to add, "Which I of course would never approve of. I could also never approve of a dangerous animal being kept on school grounds. But are you dangerous? I see that your mother was certainly a wolf..."

Her eyelids flickered, and Cedric realized that she was seeing visions as she held onto the pup. She continued, "Wolves are normally dangerous... But your mother wasn't, not really. She was more scared than anything. She had been captured by a hunter when she was just a pup like you. Like any dog, a wolf may or may not be domesticated with loving care, but the man who captured your mother was cruel. She escaped from him shortly after conceiving you with a woolly Arendelle sheep-dog. That does explain why you're so especially fluffy, my little wolf-in-sheep's-clothing."

But then her eyes became sad as the last few visions passed through her mind. "She was still young, but bringing you into the world made her weak... She cared for you, her only son, as long as she could... But she eventually lost the fight to cold and hunger..."

The pup burrowed into her bosom, and she stroked his fur to comfort him. After a moment or two she finally looked back to Cedric, "I don't know why your poor old raven, bless his heart, brought you to this pup in his final hours... But we can't ignore the fact that he did. I won't ignore it, the way people ignored me when I tried to warn them of things to come as a child. Things would have been better if they'd listened to me, and I have a feeling things will be better if this pup lives and is loved, rather than not. He'll need to stay in the courtyard during class hours, but as long as he minds himself... He can stay."

Cedric beamed as she handed him the pup back, commenting as she did, "So what are you going to name this special boy, with his beautiful frost-blue eyes?"

He smiled as he held the pup up and noted the shade of blue himself, which reminded him of all the other blue-eyed people in his life - Goodwin, Winifred, and Princess Sofia. How he missed them. "Hmm... Well, how about 'Frost-eye' then?

Frost-eye seemed to smile too as he stuck his tongue out and panted at his new master, "Woof!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Within a year, Frost-eye had grown into one of the strangest beasts Cedric had ever seen. He looked mostly like his wolf mother, and was tall but lean. However, he had inherited an extra shaggy coat from his sheep-dog father, especially around the chest, which puffed up and made him look much more muscular and imposing than he really was. Well, not that he wasn't imposing for a good reason, he was. If one of the magic-haters in town ever got it in their head to loiter around and glare at the property as they sometimes did, Frost-eye was quick to growl and snarl until they felt it was a better idea to go away.

But to those he was familiar with, Cedric and Lars especially, he was as tame and as friendly as could be. Anyone who saw them on one of their walks together would think it was terribly strange, but Cedric never felt the least amount of fear or apprehension around the large and wild-looking dog. Lars was much the same way, and although some of the school-children were timid around the large dog just as some adults would still be, most of them had bonded with him as a pup and still liked to give his ear a pet now and then, which he always responded to by either lolling his tongue out, or rolling onto his back and insisting upon a belly rub.

Lars was always happy to take care of Frost-eye if Cedric asked him to, and through Frost-eye he managed to bond better with the other school-children too. He was also always happy to do pretty much any errand or task Cedric had for him, and although many of his students had gotten much better since his first day on the job, none of them had the raw talent and understanding of all the components of potion-making and magical botany like Lars did. He was a true prodigy who could both grow most of his own ingredients, then use them in potent mixtures that always worked exactly as they should. By halfway through his seventh year, Cedric and Posey had run out of material to teach him. He had mastered everything, had memorized every book about their subjects that the school possessed.

So it was clear to Cedric who he ought to choose to be his progeny, and when he brought the proposal to Lars at the beginning of his eighth year, the young man was only too flattered and eager to accept. He still continued to come after classes for the final year though, and brushed up on the subjects that he wasn't as good at.

As soon as he was of legal age, Lars moved out of his father's home immediately, and although it wasn't entirely legal, he brought his two little sisters to live with him at the academy-castle until they were of age too. The following year, after Cedric had prepared him as much as possible, he handed down the position of Potions Master to Lars Garth Bartholomeus, thereafter known as Professor Bartholomeus.

Out of curiosity, when Cedric asked Professor Starr if he had chosen which of the two rival pupils he would have succeed him, the astronomy teacher had himself a funny grin. Cedric inquired about it of course, to which Starr answered, "Well Cedric, as if turns out, my 'rival' pupils have decided to put aside their rivalry. They say they like looking at the stars together now. So, they're both going to succeed me!"

With his obligations to the Kingdom of Arendelle fulfilled, Cedric finally began to arrange for the trip to return home to Enchancia. He spent the last few weeks with his mother, having grown closer to her than ever, it was even harder to say goodbye to her now than when he'd last done so. When the day came at last that he had to say his final goodbye, he couldn't really bring himself to say it. He just hugged her tight, and promised solemnly, "I'll write to you often... And I'll try to visit again someday..."

She held his jaw and gave him a firm kiss on the cheek. "I'll miss you terribly, my dear boy. And I expect to get an invitation if you ever get married someday!"

Cedric chuckled. "Don't hold your breath, mum, but you'll be the first to get one if I do."

He then shook hands with Lars, who had Frost-eye sitting beside him. He ruffled the dog's head one last time, then gathered his luggage and climbed on board the boat. Frost-eye looked confused, and cocked his head when Cedric looked back at him and the rest of his Arendelle family. He barked in confusion when Cedric turned and started walking back onto the boat, and boarding it alone.

Suddenly, with no warning and no way of stopping him, Frost-eye bolted away from Lars and began to run down the pier. Cedric's ship had just barely begun to sail, but with a mighty leap the wolf hybrid easily cleared the space between the port and the ship, and landed right on Cedric, knocking him down to the floor as he began to lick all over the sorcerer's face.

"Bloody hell!" The sorcerer exclaimed, pushing the wolf snout and his lapping tongue away from him, "Dog! What on Earth do you think you're doing?"

The frightening lupine beast made a worrisome whining noise, pawing at Cedric's chest and flattening his ears down as he looked at his master, pleading. Cedric sighed deeply, "What, dog - Are you saying you'd rather go with me to Enchancia than stay here in Arendelle?"

The dog barked, sharply and right away, which seemed to indicate a decisive 'yes'.

Cedric rolled his eyes, "Oh... Alright, I suppose it'll be fine. But ONLY if you're on your best behavior!" He insisted, even though the pup-at-heart was never not on his 'best' behavior around Cedric anyways. "I mean it!"

As he got up and began to lead the dog back to his quarters, the captain of the ship remarked as he passed, "That's quite some souvenir!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The boat ride back to Enchancia was slightly less miserable than he remembered. Not only did he have Sofia's scarf to keep him warm this time, but also a big furry dog who refused to let Cedric sleep without being cuddled next to.

When the port of Enchancia finally came into sight, Cedric went up to watch as they arrived. When they were close enough, he realized that King Roland and Baileywick were waiting on the pier for him, as well as a couple of other servants who were waiting by a coach.

He smiled and waved seeing them, but then to his horror, when the ship had come almost close enough to dock, Frost-eye suddenly got antsy and leapt out of the boat himself, dashing straight for Baileywick and the King.

Naturally, seeing a wolf advancing upon them, Baileywick and Roland looked rightly terrified and took a step back. But just in the nick of time, although Frost-eye had only been planning on knocking one of the men down and licking his face, Cedric snapped at the dog in a loud, authoritative voice, "HEEL!"

The imposing dog immediately stopped in it's tracks and sat down on it's hind end, looking back at Cedric in slight confusion. In a hurry to get down and explain himself, Cedric didn't wait for the boat to fully dock either. It was close enough now that he could jump off himself, and so he did so, although that caused the King and his steward to look almost as oddly at Cedric as they had when they'd first seen the dog, especially when Cedric came up and grabbed the ferocious-looking beast by the scruff of his neck.

"I am SO sorry, your majesty!" He insisted, glaring down at the dog. "I know he looks scary, but I promise he's tame! I'm sure he was just eager to get off the boat! Serves him right for insisting to come upon it! I tried to leave him with my protege in Arendelle you see, but he simply wouldn't let me leave without him..."

King Roland and Baileywick were still staring openly at Cedric, which made him squirm, feeling the need to further explain, "Um - I promise you though, he's very well trained! I'm afraid Wormwood passed away while I was gone, but just before he did he saved this beast as a pup, and he's been ridiculously attached to me ever since..."

Baileywick seemed to recover first, but he waited for King Roland to comment, "Cedric... Is that, a WOLF...?"

Cedric broke out into a sweat. "Er, well, -half- wolf, I believe, yes." He admitted reluctantly, but was quick to add, "But also half sheep-dog! And as far as temperament goes, he's really more like a sheep-dog! He would even herd the children into school as soon as he heard the morning bells began to ring!"

The duo was silent for another few seconds after Cedric's answer, then the King suddenly began to snicker uncontrollably. Baileywick did snort once as well, then quickly composed himself. "I'm sorry Cedric, it's just such a shock seeing you like this, after all these years!"

Cedric blinked, "H-How do you mean...?"

"Well obviously the upgrade from pet raven to pet WOLF is one thing." Baileywick pointed out right away. "And then there's the long hair... And, well..." The normally stoic steward hesitated and even blushed a little.

The King was still trying to overcome the urge to laugh openly and heartily, and was honestly failing at it, so he finally just gave up trying. "Seriously!" He began, walking over and giving Cedric a hearty slap on the back, "Where's the scrawny sorcerer I sent off to Arendelle, and who is this manly, muscular magician? AHAHA!"

Baileywick was definitely blushing now, "Muscular is a bit much, your majesty. But you do seem to have, er, 'filled out', Cedric..."

Now it was the sorcerer's turn to blush, and he averted his eyes from his two peers, noticing as he did so that another coach was coming up to the pier, "Oh, uh, well, perhaps all those years of trudging through the Arendelle snow and chasing after this mutt and the students did it..."

The second coach pulled up to the dock and parked, and after the footman had opened the door it was revealed that none other than Goodwin and Winifred had been inside. Winifred immediately rushed over to her son and wrapped her arms around his waist just like she used to. There was one thing that was different though - There were strands of grey mixed in with her brown hair now. She cried, "Oh, Cedric, my Ceddykins, you're finally back!"

Cedric leaned his head down on hers just like he used to. Sarah had been an excellent mother to him while he needed to be away, but he was finally -home- now. "Good to see you too, mummy!"

Pulling back for a moment, she held him at arm's length. "Oh, let me get a look at you!" She gasped melodramatically. "Goodwin, would you take a look at our son! Look how handsome he's gotten!"

"Hmm... Yes, I suppose he does look less twig-like than I remember." Goodwin allowed him with a teasing smirk. "Welcome home, son. And who is this fascinating creature?" He added as Frost-eye rather suddenly came up and started sniffing at him, as if there was an especially fascinating scent on Goodwin that he couldn't seem to get enough of.

"Oh yes!" Cedric nodded, "This is Frost-eye. Wormwood led me to him as a pup, shortly before he died a few winters ago. It's rather as if..." He purposefully sought out his father's eyes as he added, "As if Wormwood gave his life to protect Frost-eye..."

Goodwin raised an eyebrow back at him, and answered very pointedly, "Hmm. Well then, I'm sure it must be because he considered him to be like family, and believed he was worthy of such a sacrifice..."

Sorcerer Father and Sorcerer Son shared a secret smile, and then they whisked Cedric and the faithful Frost-eye back home to Enchancia Castle.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The King arranged a quiet but stately banquet that night for Cedric's return, and Cedric ate with much more gusto than when he'd first arrived in Arendelle. Not that he hadn't eaten well while he was there - In fact he had mostly 'filled out' on Sarah's cooking, and he looked forward to sharing some old-fashioned Arendelle recipes with the Enchancian chefs.

But tonight, he dined on the taste of home, which included one of the biggest turkeys Enchancia's poulterers had produced that year, lemonade with Enchancian Mint, and a knock-off recipe inspired by Duchess Matilda's world-famous apple pie, which included the heaps of cinnamon-spiced caramel sauce that the apple slices came tossed in. It was a very good substitute, but the crust wasn't as perfectly, magically flaky as Matilda managed to make hers. Even though he'd just had his dessert, Cedric's mouth watered just thinking about how amazingly smooth and melt-in-your-mouth that crust was. It was like eating a pillow made out of butter, flour, sugar, and your wildest hopes and dreams...

Roland mentioned about the same thing when he had finished his meal, "Mm-mm-mmm! That pie was amazing! But I can't wait to see Tilly when she comes back to the castle next week! Of course, mostly to see the return of my radiant daughter, Princess Sofia - Who in her absence has been training under Tilly's tutelage to be a master sorceress! But, I'm sure I can convince Tilly to make one of her amazing apple pies while she's here too..."

Cedric couldn't help but raise both his brows in shock when he heard that. He'd always known that Sofia was talented enough, and besides that enough of a hard worker to pull off almost anything she set her mind to, but he was still honestly more impressed with her now than he'd ever been before. The Duchess Matilda was much more well known for being the most celebrated sorceress in the entire Tri-Kingdom Area than for her royal status, and many already reputable magicians had sought her out in the past, only to be turned away every time.

So although there had been a time when Cedric wanted nothing more than to be away from Sofia, he suddenly found himself wanting the exact opposite now. He was more excited than he could or would dare say to see the woman she had become, and the week until that day was to come was one of the longest he'd ever lived through.

Still though, when that day finally did come, Cedric did not go to the dock with the rest of Sofia's family to greet her. He was too nervous and he felt that it simply wasn't his place. But even when that night's feast came around, he was still trying to avoid the halls he knew she usually took, planning on hanging around the outskirts of the main event and hoping to catch of glimpse of her from afar, rather than approach her directly.

About a half hour before the guests were expected to arrive, he was watching the main foyer from a servant's passageway, which led to the kitchens. Every time he checked she still wasn't there, though. He figured she was probably spending extra time getting ready.

That is, until the very woman he was secretly stalking tapped him on the shoulder from behind. When he turned and saw her face, he jumped back as if it were the face of a frightening apparition. But actually, although his eyes widened and his heart pounded with nervousness, it was an entirely different sensation from fear that he was feeling when he saw her face.

She was... Resplendent. Glorious. Not just by her perfectly symmetrical beauty, although that was obviously the first thing most people noticed about her. But Cedric's eyes went straight to hers as they sought him out, and within the wise blue orbs he could clearly see her magnificently humble pride, as well as in her regal posture. She had lost nearly all of the cherubic chubbiness from her childhood face, but had gained the most exquisite refinement in return, as if she were literally the artistry of an angel. She was wearing a lavender gown, very similar to the kind she used to favor as a child, but with slightly more of periwinkle twinge in the hue.

As soon as she had recognized him for sure, her pink-painted lips blossomed into a smile at his ridiculous gaping. "It IS you!" She exclaimed, right before throwing her arms around his shoulders and squeezing him tight. He quickly put his hands out and away from all parts of her body, although he couldn't bring himself to shove her soft form away either. She continued, "Oh Cedric! It's SO good to see you again!"

"P-P-Princess Sofia!" He timidly stammered back to her, not sure what else to say at first, and unable to think of anything quickly when the most perfect woman he'd ever known was so close to him that he could smell her perfume. His knowledgeable nostrils could detect that it was made from a blend of pure essential oils: Vanilla, chamomile, lavender, and perhaps just a drop or two of the purest rose.

She finally stepped back and allowed him some room to breathe again, but still holding onto his forearms as she continued to glance over him. "Oh my goodness! At first I wasn't sure if it was you! You look so different with long hair..." She remarked, then shyly added, "It looks very dashing on you, though!"

He glanced away from her and pulled his arms back, reaching up and fiddling with the ponytail. "Er, well, thank you... B-But wait, what are you doing back here in the servant's passageway?" He added, no longer able to bring himself to use the exact same scolding tone he used to take with her when she was a child.

"I was visiting my old friend Gwen!" She answered simply but cheerfully, watching him comb his fingers through the locks of his hair. "Do you ever braid it?" She added, her fingers twitching with temptation.

He glared weakly and pulled the ponytail back behind his shoulder. "Actually, I'm thinking of cutting it." He replied bluntly, but quickly added, "I may braid it then though, and keep the lock as a bookmark, to remind me of my time in Arendelle..."

Sofia almost looked disappointed, but by the end of his explanation her smile had returned. "Oh, that sounds like a great idea! I am glad I got to see your new hairstyle, but I'm sure you'll still look handsome when it's gone..."

He lip curled downward at that strange comment, as well as that 'dashing' bit. "Erm... Princess Sofia..." He began hesitantly, "Do you remember what we talked about the last time we saw each other...?"

"Of course, Cedric!" She replied with grin, seemingly no longer saddened by his rejection in the least. However, she still felt comfortable in taking one of his arms back and entwining it with hers as she began to lead him down the passageway, past the kitchen and into the garden beyond that. "But come, let's not dwell on what we already know - Let's catch up on what we don't! Did you hear that I've been studying with my Aunt Tilly the last few years?"

"Oh, yes!" Cedric replied much more eagerly than before. "That really is something, actually! You must have learned quite a lot of impressive magic from the Duchess Matilda!"

"You bet I did!" She grinned back at him, "Check this out! Tumultus Flores!" She called out while pulling out a lovely ivory-colored ashwood wand, which was engraved with seemingly random swirls and spirals. A light green glow emerged from the tip of her wand and flowed like a whirlpool all around them, collecting all the petals and stray blades of grass and spinning them around and round the magical pair.

"Very nice!" He praised right away in earnest, watching until the flora floated back down to earth. "May I ask - What kind of core does your wand have?"

She hugged the magical stick lovingly as she answered, "A sprig of rosemary, an amethyst stone, and a mermaid's scale!" She answered proudly, "Aunt Tilly made it especially for me!"

"Lucky you." Cedric agreed, honestly a little envious even though he already had an impressive collection of wands himself. "So what else did you do with the Duchess?"

"Oh, we went a lot of different places, met a lot of different people... I actually danced with, and went on a few dates with a few boys! I even kissed one..." She admitted mischievously, only pretending to be shy about divulging that information to him, and also neglecting to mention that it was only on the cheek.

He stared openly at her for that, just as she expected, and weakly replied, in a bit of shock, "O-Oh...?"

"Yep!" Her shy smile stretched into a grin. "I danced with a girl too! I met the most amazing author while I was in the U.S. Her name was Frances Hodgson. She was SO talented, and gorgeous to boot! Here, I've got a picture of her. Isn't she beautiful?"

Procuring it right from thin air, Sofia handed the black and white photo to Cedric, who couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the image from first glance. He would never call any maiden 'ugly', Winifred had raised him better than that, but he couldn't honestly say that he saw what Sofia was seeing in Ms. Hodgson. So instead he lied, "Oh, er, yes, she's very-Um, handsome!" After all, Sofia apparently thought Cedric of all people was good-looking too, so obviously she seemed to be the type to see beauty in clearly unconventional sources. It endeared her all the more to Cedric, who was relieved to see that she had at least moved on to romancing other interesting individuals by now.

She was about to go on to say something else, but suddenly the clock struck six, and the bell rang loudly for everyone to hear. "Whoops! Where DID the time go? Looks like I need to start heading to my own party now, or else I'll be late! I actually have a really big announcement to make after dinner, so you'll be there to hear it, right Cedric?"

He nodded, "Very well, your highness."

She smiled a small smile back at him, and took a couple steps towards him. "Just one more thing, Cedric?"

He blinked up at her - She'd grown to be just an inch or two shorter than him, but in heels she matched his height. "Er - Yes, Princess Sofia?"

Placing her hands on his shoulders, she gave him a sympathetic sort of smile as she continued, "I'm terribly sorry, Cedric. But I feel like I must do this at least once..."

"Wha-?" He began to ask, but then in a move too shocking for Cedric to completely comprehend right away, she had bent forward, tilted her head and sealed her lips to his, her eyes fluttering shut as his went as wide as they'd ever gone before in his life.

It was his First Kiss. Excluding, of course, the platonic cheek-kisses he had gotten from his mothers on many occasions. This, however, was about as similar to those experiences as water was to oil, and speaking of oil, he could smell that she was wearing more of that vanilla flower essential oil in her beeswax and honey lip salve, as well as some kind of berry juice which gave it that pretty pink color. So it was quite literally a sweet kiss, both the scent and the way she so very gently pressed against his lips, which were just slightly ajar in shock.

Cedric was also very abruptly aware that he'd never really paid especially close attention to the beating of his heart before. He'd always just assumed it was there unless it demanded his attention after a bout of strenuous physical activity. Well, it was demanding his attention from him now, and there wasn't a single chance in heaven or hell that he'd ever be able to ignore or avoid this woman again for the rest of his life.

The part of him that knew he should pull back this instant had seemingly been sealed away by Sofia's kiss, and after the initial moment of instinctive awe, his eyes slipped shut, his heartbeat lulled, and without entirely realizing it he had found himself pressing his lips back, just barely.

As soon as he had done that, Sofia suddenly pulled away again, smiling with her cheeks tinted pink. "I'm so sorry..." She repeated again, though his brain wasn't functioning well enough yet to remember why she felt she ought to be. His mind was still navigating through the maze of sensation and emotion that her simple kiss had built around it, the shivers running up his spine and the elation of his heart. "I swear that will never happen again unless you say it may, and I swear that I DID try to do what you asked of me years ago. I tried to see other men, closer to my age, but..."

She drew a breath and took a step back, raising a hand up to her chest, above her heart. "It never felt the same around them. My heart never leaped with joy when I was around them... Like it always does when I'm around you."

She glanced back up at him, "I still love you, Cedric, and I always will... But I'll never come to you again unless you come to me first, I promise."

Fulfilling her promise on the spot, she immediately turned on her heel and walked back towards the castle, away from him. Suddenly hit by the realization of what happened, Cedric looked around around him in paranoia that someone might have seen, but of course Sofia was smarter than that, and no one was around, or at least close enough to see. Waiting for her to arrive where she was going first, Cedric then slowly re-entered the servant's passageway, intending on watching this important speech Sofia had mentioned from afar and then going straight to bed, before it was impossible to convince himself this hadn't just been a dream.

However, halfway down the corridor, Cedric spotted Baileywick up ahead, and he quickly ducked his head down, trying to avoid having to strike up a conversation after the awkwardness that had just occurred. Unfortunately for him, the royal steward didn't give him that choice. Stopping him with a hand on his shoulder, Baileywick looked down at the shorter man and commented somewhat slow and awkwardly himself, as if he didn't really want to be talking to Cedric, but for whatever strange reason was forcing himself to make the comment, "Uh - Cedric? You know what's a good thing to keep on your person? Handkerchiefs. I always keep a few extra with me."

"What...?" Cedric returned in supreme confusion, even more baffled when Baileywick procured one of his immaculate white squares of cloth, and wiped Cedric's mouth with it.

The cold horror of realization hit the sorcerer even before Baileywick pulled the handkerchief back and showed him the lip-shaped smudge of pink. His face immediately turned so red that it was barely a shade lighter than his blood, and with a twinge of color in his cheeks as well as a small smirk, Baileywick quietly mentioned, "I must say I'm surprised, Cedric! I'm not going to tell, of course. I simply must insist you be more discreet in the future, and mind your lady-friend's make-up. But honestly I'm glad for you - I suppose someone must have missed you an awful lot while you were away!"

After tucking the lipstick-soiled cloth in Cedric's front pocket, Baileywick shuffled around him and continued on his way. Grumbling a quick, mortified, "Thanks..." Back to the steward, Cedric continued on his way in a fast walk, determined to get past everyone else without saying another word.

He managed it and made his way to the tunnel that led to the unicorn and lion tapestry he liked to hide behind when he wanted to view events but not be a part of him. Looking over the room as it began to crowd with more and more of the arriving guests, Cedric's gaze kept returning to Sofia, his skin lighting up with a new blush every time he remembered her unexpected kiss. But she didn't look the least bit perturbed in the least! She hugged her parents, siblings and friends without even a hint of a blush, seemingly completely shameless about the fact that she had just kissed a much older man in secret.

He did notice, though, that she ate very little. No more than a few grapes and a couple cubes of cantaloupe. And she seemed distracted, although she was as polite to all her guests as she ever was, on the few occasions where she did have a few seconds to herself, her eyes seemed faraway...

After dinner the guests danced with each other to sprightly violin music for close to an hour, and after that King Roland politely asked for everyone's attention as he announced that he would be commencing the specially planned event for the night - Formally welcoming his daughter and the Princess of Enchancia home, and presenting her with a new custom-made tiara engraved in emeralds and amethysts, in honor of Tilly recently proclaiming her a fully fledged sorceress.

"Welcome home, Princess Sofia." She curtseyed before him as he placed the tiara on her head, straightening up again afterward and smiling up at him. Again though, Cedric could see that her smile was not completely genuine. She was hiding something...

But not for long. Clearing her throat softly, Sofia addressed the king in turn, "Thank you, father. I'm more grateful than you could ever know for everything you've given me in my life, and I dearly hope that, no matter what, even if I should ever fail to please you, we'll still be family, always..."

Roland blinked in surprise at her strangely cryptic words, and responded hesitantly, "Er, well of course, Sofia..."

She sighed with relief, then steeled her posture and her resolve as she began again, with a new kind of determination, "Father, as you know, I've been traveling near and far over the years. Mostly far. I've seen so many amazing things and met all kinds of interesting human characters. All of these people I've met, in varying degrees, have touched my life and changed who I was before I left, overall much more for the better than not. But I am a completely different person now than I was before, and I can't go back to the way I was..."

"Sofia...? Roland softly mumbled as she paused to think, utterly confused about where she was going with all this, but still trying to be supportive.

"Father." She returned, much more sure of herself now. "I know I'm just one person, and that what I do can only make so much of an impact on the world at large. But I have seen children starving, and I have seen people drink with pearls and diamonds in their glasses, and I just can't make sense of it. You brought me into this world, and at first I was so scared of it because I didn't think I belonged her. So I worked hard to prove myself worthy of what I had been given. Now I think I understand better than I did then... The truth is, I'm still not worthy of any of this. Because if there is anyone in the world who isn't worthy to live well, then no one is worthy to live lavishly. How can I dress in crowns of gold when some children don't even have food?"

Nervous but still completely sure in herself and the actions she was currently undertaking, she reached up to the top of her head and slipped the tiara off. "As I said before, I dearly hope you will always continue to think of me as your daughter... But I cannot continue to have the world think of me as a princess, not as long as there's a single girl in this world who is considered a slave. Therefore..." Slowly, she held the tiara out to him. "King Roland, I hereby formally renounce my crown, and abdicate from my title as Princess of Enchancia."

Cedric's mouth fell completely open, as did nearly every other guests in attendance, despite their years of etiquette training. Even Amber, cool, collected and obsessed with appearances as she normally was, had briefly taken on the appearance of a fish out of water.

Roland stared down in shock at his daughter. Some semblance of offense passed over his eyes for a brief second or two, but it quickly turned to sadness, and then finally acceptance. "Sofia... Are you absolutely sure this is what you really want...?" He whispered to her, even though he knew deep down that she would never say anything to begin with that wasn't true to her heart.

"Yes." She answered without the slightest bit of hesitation.

Slowly he nodded. "Very well... I hereby release you from your title as princess, Lady Sofia. I am sorry that you felt you didn't belong as a princess. But you'll always belong here, as my daughter."

"Thank you SO much, father..." Sofia answered, her eyes shining as he finally reached down and took the tiara from her.

Hesitating just a second, she then reached for the Amulet of Avalor, which had Cedric close to biting his nails in anticipation. But King Roland quickly and firmly interrupted her, "No. You keep that one, Sofia..."

She nodded with a grateful smile, and reached in to embrace her father, her petite arms stronger than Roland ever remembered them being before. After releasing her for the second time, Sofia concluded, "I think I'd like to retire for the night, if that's alright with you."

He nodded, not sure if he could trust his voice right away. Sofia curtseyed one last time, then turned and made her way through the crowd. They all moved aside to let her through, tittering among each other about what had just transpired.

Cedric was so amazed that he'd stepped out of his hiding place, staring at her openly as she walked through the room once more as a commoner, just like when she was still a child. And yet, with her back straight and her head held high, she still managed to look more regal than anyone else in the room.

And that mirthful smile of excitement, which she directed at him just briefly before continuing out of the foyer - There was no doubt about that smile. She was truly happy with her choice.

Who could blame her? She was free.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO


	5. The Heart Wants What It Wants

Out in the lukewarm Autumn night air, Lady Sofia sat by herself out in the garden following her groundbreaking announcement. Most of the guests had stayed inside to titter about what had just happened, but one person in particular went out of their way to go out and speak to her.

"So... What was all that about?" Cedric asked her quietly, from behind the other side of the tree that Sofia was also sitting beside.

She shrugged even though he couldn't see the motion. "I decided I didn't want to be princess anymore. So now I'm not. Simple as that."

His cheeks went red with a mixture of embarrassment and indignation. It was impossible for him to face her directly so soon after what she'd done before the big announcement, but he was too annoyed by her actions not to at least say -something- about it. "Oh, simple as that, eh? You're just going to quit being a princess and save the world as a commoner, hmm? And I suppose you think that because you're not a princess anymore, you're free to do just about anything you want?"

He suddenly realized he didn't have to face her himself, as she had gotten up and stomped around the tree to glare sternly at him, poking him in the chest with a finely-manicured finger, effectively freezing his body into a statue. "First of all, I kissed you while I was still a princess, remember? I wanted to kiss you while I was still a princess! But what I did in the foyer just now - That wasn't for you, or anyone else! That was for me and me alone!"

She glared at him for a few seconds more, studying his frozen face carefully before softening her features again, and smiling patiently. "And I already said back there... That I know I'm just one person. I can't save the entire world. But I can't even try if I'm pretending to be better than anyone else... You know, I really look up to you, Mister Cedric." She suddenly confessed. "You've done so many good deeds for so many people, and you hardly get any credit for it. But you're still a good person, you still keep on doing good for others..."

Cedric finally blinked, and blushed, and looked away from her. "That's not true... I'm not nearly as good-hearted as you think, Sofia. I'm no saint - It annoys me when I don't get recognition, and I've done plenty of things that I'm not proud of..." To this very girl in particular, he reminded himself, trying especially hard not to look at the amulet hanging from her neck.

"So has everyone else, Cedric." She reminded him, crossing her arms. "And that's my point... I'm no different from you or anyone else, except for how rich and well-known my family is. People go about being good to each other, every day, without anyone ever recognizing them for it, and I believe I should too. I don't need people to call me a 'princess', and although I'd never insist that anyone else make the decision I have, I hope that someday all monarchs will eventually realize that their system is a flawed one, and dismantle it. But for now, I can only focus on myself. So, if you must know, that is why I did what I did tonight, not because I thought it would make a certain sorcerer less nervous around me. Although I do hope that might be the case anyways."

Smiling, she gave him one last wink before she turned around and headed back the castle. Her timing was rather perfect too, because just as she did this, her mother Queen Miranda came walking up to her. "Sofia, can we talk?" She asked, her features clearly worried.

"Of course, mom." Sofia nodded, "Let's just go to my room, okay?"

Miranda agreed and they both walked together in a comfortable silence to Sofia's room, where it was understood was the proper place for mother and daughter to speak privately.

Sitting on her bed, Sofia patted down on the spot next to her, and Miranda sat down. Since her mother seemed hesitant, Sofia began for the both of them, "I know this is about what just happened at the banquet, mom. I'm really sorry if I embarrassed you or Dad, or made things difficult. I just really felt this was the right thing for me to do." She explained.

Miranda slowly shook her head. "No, Sofia... Don't apologize for doing what your heart told you was right. If anything, I should be the one to apologize..."

"For what?" Her daughter returned in confusion.

"Well..." She sighed and fidgeted with her hands in her lap. "You know I truly love Roland with all my heart... But a mother should always put her children before anyone else, even her husband. I suppose I should have thought more about how you felt, before I decided to marry him and uproot your life completely like I did. Oh, Sofia - I'm so sorry, honey. I hope you haven't secretly been miserable all these years because of my selfish decision. I told myself that it would be wonderful for you to grow up as a princess, but I never really considered how you actually felt about that, did I?"

The former princess shook her head right away and clutched onto one of her mother's hands as she exclaimed, "Please don't blame yourself, Mom! I don't think that way at all! I'm nothing but grateful for everything you've done for me, and I never disliked being a princess. Nothing could be further from the truth. I just don't see why anyone needs to call me a princess, that's all..."

Miranda drew her in close and hugged her tight. "Are you sure, Sofia?"

She leaned her head against her mother's bosom as she replied, "I'm sure, mom. I would never do anything to hurt you or our family - And that includes being unhappy myself and lying about it. I know you wouldn't want that. That's why I had to do what I did tonight... Because I knew I was lying about who I really was, and I needed to set things straight. You understand, right Mom?"

Kissing her forehead, Miranda rocked her daughter in her arms - Even though Sofia was much older and bigger than she was as a child, it still felt right to them. "Of course I do, sweetie. Oh... I can't believe what a mature young lady my baby has become..." She sniffled and reached up to wipe at her eyes.

Sofia giggled a little. "Oh mom, don't cry over this... You should save the tears for Amber's wedding!"

Miranda laughed at her joke, and ruffled her cinnamon-colored hair. "Alright - But only if you promise that I'll be able to cry at your wedding someday, too!"

Sofia smirked a little to herself, "I'm working on it, mom~"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Thankfully for Frost-Eye, although King Roland could not abide by cats at all, he was very much a 'dog-person' and delighted in having the exotic white Arendelle breed around the castle, as long as Cedric made sure to take good care of him, of course. This included taking the dog out for walks every day, which Cedric overall didn't mind - After spending years in the mostly-snowy tundra of Arendelle, he found it relaxing to soak up some sun now, although he had avoided it as much as possible when he was a younger, broodier man.

There was just one problem with the arrangement - Frost-Eye had the uncanny ability to decide he needed fresh air whenever Sofia seemed to also be out. Cedric had been doing his best to keep the dog on a route that would go around her, and she also seemed to be giving him plenty of space when they went out, but it was just so awkward. Neither of them were ever able to resist glancing over at the other when they were in view, avoiding their eyes whenever they met at the same time.

But Sofia kept to her promise, and didn't approach Cedric. He in turn stubbornly kept to his own business, or at least he did for the first few days. However, one day, Sofia brought Clover out with her into the garden for a stroll. He was an aging bunny again, so she kept him in her arms, cuddled up against her bosom. It was a good thing too. Frost-Eye became instinctively over-excited when he saw the hare, because back in Arendelle they'd been a rare treat. Barking and sprinting after the bunny in her arms, the strong dog dragged the now short-haired Cedric out to Sofia, who despite becoming a little less shrimp-like since coming back from Arendelle, was still no match for the beast when he'd made up his mind about where he wanted to go.

Sofia shrank back just a single step, and sternly commanded the dog with the proud authority of an alpha personality, "NO! Clover is my friend! You stop!"

The dog obeyed her and stopped, but whined and cocked his head in confusion. Cedric growled in frustration and added, "Bad dog! You do not run up to people and scare them, Frost-Eye!"

Sofia smirked a little up at his master, "I wasn't scared, Cedric. But he's right, Frost-Eye, that is rather rude. You need to consider how others feel when you do such things."

Again, the pup cocked his head the other way and continued to whine. To Sofia and Clover's ears, it translated to, "Why...? How come I can understand this pretty purple wolf?"

Clover sniffed derisively for a while back at the pup while the humans regarded each other obliviously. The hare was not the least bit afraid of the large dog in Sorceress Sofia's arms, and he patiently replied, "Man, why are most dogs so dim? Hey genius, not everything is another kind of wolf. What, am I just a little edible wolf? Geez. She's a human and I'm a rabbit, but that doesn't mean I'm automatically food! Listen up - I'm older than any other rabbit, so that means I'm also wiser than any other rabbit. And since you seem to be lacking in the sense department, you should probably respect your elder and pay attention to my words instead of trying to eat me. Do you understand?" (This may seem like a lot to get across with just a few sniffs and nose-twitches, but that's one of the many perks of being a magical, psychic bunny-rabbit.)

The simple-minded dog barked back happily, his tongue lolling out of his mouth, "I do understand!" For the most part, anyways.

Sofia smiled at their antics, and then to Cedric as she asked, "Ah, so how have you been?"

Cedric crossed his arms and tucked away the leash, regarding her suspiciously. "I've been well..." He answered awkwardly and vaguely.

She quirked an eyebrow at him, and couldn't help but pry. "Oh? Have you been experimenting with any interesting magic lately? I've actually been trying to perfect an elixer that helps to rapidly grow and stabilize certain fruits and vegetables in arid climates, myself. Also, I've just created a lovely new strain of lavender singing lilies - Perhaps you could come see them with me sometime, if you'd like?"

He regarded her with more interest as she spoke about her magical and scientific hobbies, until she got to the offer to accompany her. Then his expression became more guarded, "Mm, well, perhaps... But I am awfully busy myself..."

Sofia looked down sadly, "Oh... I'm sorry. I don't want to disturb or disrupt you, it's just... I think I miss you more now than when you were away..."

Before Cedric could think of how to respond to that, Frost-Eye suddenly got ansty about all the blue moods everyone seemed to be having, and he began to run around in rapid circles, unsuspectingly wrapping his leash around the two hapless humans and bounding them rather tightly together as he barked, "Hey! Cheer up!"

Cedric and Sofia both gasped at the sudden and incredibly awkward predicament, bound with their torsos together and their faces almost touching. So close they could feel each other's hearts beating, though Cedric was just glad that old rabbit at least was some small barrier between them. They both blushed and scurried to try and wriggle their wands out to help, which of course only made things more awkward. But Sofia managed to get hers out first and used a spell to disappear the leash altogether, and reappear it on the ground a couple seconds later.

Cedric immediately backed away from her and sneered at the dog, "Frost-Eye, that was very, VERY -BAD-!"

Sofia giggled a little, "Oh Cedric, don't be so mad at him. He's a dog. That's just how dogs are. That's just what they do."

He went and retrieved the leash, then crossed his arms as he returned and spoke to her in a stern, hushed whisper, "Listen, Sofia. I DO want to still be your friend, I really do. But you need to stop flirting with me, I can tell when you're doing it! Do you understand, I was eighteen years old when you were born, a full grown adult! When I was your age, you were six! How would you feel if a six year old wanted to date you?"

She rolled her eyes at his melodramatic speech. "It's not the same at all and you know it. But I already told you that I never expected anything of you when I confessed my feelings, I just wanted you to know. I think being just friends is a great idea!"

He blinked openly in surprise, "Really...?"

She nodded, "If that's what you want."

He straightened out and cleared his throat a bit, trying to look dignified. "Er, well, yes. To be honest I think that would be nice..."

Sofia smiled, reaching over and ruffling Frost-Eye's ears and head, much to the simple dog's delight. "Of course, Cedric! You've always been my friend and you always will be! So, why not go check out my singing lilies together?"

He was caught a bit off caught a bit off-guard by that. Well, when she said it like that, there was no particular reason not to go look at her lilies. As friends. "Alright then..."

After walking over and nudging him with her elbow to follow him, they both walked together, side by side, towards the greenhouse.

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Wassailia came and passed, and it was a very merry season indeed. Sofia gave Cedric brand new mittens and another magically warm scarf, this one in an olive green color. Cedric in turn gave her a magical everlasting rose - In the traditional yellow color, which symbolized friendship, but not romantic love. Still, Sofia adored it, and put it in a vase in her room.

At the following New Year's Ball, Princess Amber announced grandly to everyone in attendance that night that she would soon be wed. She bid her husband to reveal himself, and to everyone's initial surprise, it turned out to be the shy, soft-spoken Prince Desmond who stepped up and stood beside Amber. After thinking upon it though, it made much more sense - Amber wasn't the type to keep a man around who was moodier and more flamboyant than she was. The humble, sensible prince was a good, stable match for her, and everyone was glad to have him.

The wedding took place that Spring, and Amber was the most beautiful bride, adorned in a dress only too fitting for the marriage of a future queen. The trail was adorned with sunny-yellow flowers, and her hair was woven with orange marigolds. Sofia, who wore a complimentary cornflower blue bridesmaid dress, hugged her sister tight before and after the ceremony, so proud of her. Suffice to say, there wasn't a dry eye among the Royal Family that day.

Then, in the following late summertime, during a Royal Picnic, James addressed those who had assembled, and in turn informed them that he was also soon to be wed, to none other than the lovely Princess Vivian. Again, it was a sensible match of opposites attracting, a soft-spoken princess to the loud and rowdy knight-prince, and everyone agreed that it was a good state of affairs for all the kingdoms involved.

However, before the wedding, which was to be set in mid-November, Prince James and Princess Vivian had decided to hold a masquerade ball that All Hallow's Eve, as a sort of sending off party for the both of them, since naturally, royals don't exactly do 'bachelor's parties'. But James thought it would be a fun idea, and as long as there's a half-decent reason to throw a party, royals will throw a party. When she heard about it, Amber had excitedly agreed that it was a great idea too, because, "If anyone had anything to say about the wedding that wasn't positive, with the masks they wouldn't know if they were telling that to the bride or groom or any of their close friends!"

Of course, Cedric got roped into doing the magical decorations for the thing, as always. But he found himself getting into the spirit of things this time. Sofia refused to tell him what her costume was going to be like, but he was confident that he would be able to tell it was her when he saw her, and considered it a miniature challenge for the evening to seek her out, and maybe give her a little scare. It was Halloween, after all.

And after that grand Halloween some years ago, where apparently Sofia had brought in -real- ghosts, Roland was eager to show off his newly re-acquired Royal Sorcerer and outdo himself this year. So it wouldn't be any problem if he did happen to get the wrong woman, as it was literally his job tonight to spook people with his magic. He felt a little giddy in fact, at the potential mischief he could cause. Of course he'd keep it in good fun, but on top of that he'd have a mask on in a sea of people with masks - He was actually quite sure that this night was going to be very fun for him!

So unlike how he usually answered the door to his room when summoned by a knock, with gloomy sighs, he was actually quite excited that afternoon when Baileywick arrived with a case with three custom masks to choose from. They all had long noses of course, but there was one that was purple and gold, and another that was green and silver. After some consideration, Cedric ended up choosing the one between them.

The face-plate around the eyes was a metallic blood-red, with obsidian and mother-of-pearl diamond-stars around the eyes, and an obsidian crescent moon between his eyes, on the bridge of his nose. The nose-piece was also done in mother-of-pearl, with a swirled shape like an 'S'. Tiny pearl-beads framed around to complete it.

He put it on, and looked at himself in the mirror. With the plain but formal, crisp and new black hooded robe that he was wearing tonight, it made him resemble some sort of gaudy grim reaper. He couldn't help but grin, picking out a plain black wand to match.

"What do you think, Baileywick?" Cedric asked over his shoulder. They hadn't spoken that much since the 'incident', besides mostly professional banter.

But Baileywick gave him an encouraging smile, and nodded. "Very nice, Cedric. I'm sure the guests will be most impressed tonight." He paused just a beat, and since it was Halloween, he couldn't help but play a little 'trick' on his old colleague as well. "And, whoever she is, your lady-friend is very lucky to have the attention of a dashing young sorcerer like you."

Cedric raised an eyebrow at him, and then grimaced a little, forever grateful that the steward didn't know the identity of said 'lady friend'. "I don't think you're that much older than me, to say something that bold, Baileywick." He quipped back at him.

The aging butler smirked back at him, "I'm old enough!"

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The party started off innocuously enough, ushering all the guests into the main hall to start the ceremonies. Then as soon as Baileywick signaled him that most everyone had arrived, Cedric, who was hiding behind a suit of armor at the top of the stairs, summoned a great dragon made completely of green and purple fire to fly around the ceiling and between the chandeliers. He was careful to make sure the flames didn't stray too far or lick out at anything dangerously, like curtains and such, and still at the same time made it do impressive aerial maneuvers and menacing faces at the guests, who both shrunk before it but also couldn't help but watch in awe.

Finally at the end of the display he had the dragon, which more resembled an Eastern serpent than a Western wyvern, consume it's own tail and disappear in an impressively controlled explosion of magical fireworks. The guests applauded and Cedric bowed from the top of the stairs, before leaping from them and floating down the ground harmlessly with magic. He then bowed again to a new round of applause, before working his way into the crowd, and starting his quest.

After spooking the first few guests who dared for some punch, by having a purple octopus tentacle or two reach out from the punch bowl and grab their cups from them, then fill it for them before handing it back - Cedric then began to try and scope the crowd, looking for Sofia's distinct cinnamon-brown colored hair. Most likely she'd be in purple, but she might also sport pink or blue. And there was a very good chance that she'd be themed as a rabbit or a butterfly, or possibly a white dove or swan...

But then he felt someone tap on his shoulder, and to his deep surprise, he turned to find one of the most beautiful women he'd ever seen in his life. Well, most of her, anyways. She had a full-faced mask on, mostly white with a wispy vague butterfly shape around the eyes in reflective silver. There were also some small round grey pearls around the shape of her eyes, over her brow, and in the middle of her brow, she had one slightly larger, oval shaped purple-black pearl. The lips of the mask, which were rather full-bodied, were also painted silver, and her eyes were the same matching stormy-sky grey.

She wasn't wrinkled from anywhere he could see, but all the hair framing around that mask was silver and grey too, leading Cedric to assume right away that it was an older woman, as most younger women would never sport such an ensemble. Younger girls were colorful. This was a woman who'd recently started going a bit grey and decided to just go with it. Cedric admired that show of confidence about her right away. But then, he couldn't help but also admire, for just one brief second before sending his eyes straight up again, her cleavage, which she had daringly let go somewhat low in the box-shape cut neckline of her silver dress. Again, Cedric interpreted this to mean she was an older woman, possibly, nay, probably a widow with that kind of nerve, if she'd ever married at all. But then, to be completely, uncouthly honest, if only in his own mind, with a body like that he couldn't imagine she hadn't been married at least once before...

He realized he'd been staring a little too long when she suddenly winked at him, and he shook himself out of it. "Oh! Y-Yes, m-madam...?"

"Grey." She replied, predictably, in a voice that was just as between tones as the rest of her. A feminine voice, but a mature voice too. "Jane Grey."

"You don't say." He replied, biting his lip to restrain his humor. "My mother's middle name is Jane..."

"Mine's Adalyn." She replied.

"I like it." He bowed his head to hide the dust of a blush on his cheeks. "Actually, come to think of it, I believe I may have a friend named Adela...?" His memory was foggy on that, but the name seemed so familiar...

"Hmm, a lady-friend?" This bold older woman inquired with no hesitation, winking again in her mask.

Cedric put up a good front and stood up straight. As someone who had been kissed by a princess, he had a healthy enough amount of confidence now. "May I inquire as to why you're so interested in that, Lady Grey?"

She chuckled low, muffled further by the mask. "I'm bored! I've been all around the world, met all kinds of people. But I've got a specific type, and they're unfortunately rather rare. I see you're magical, Sir Cedric Goodwin..." She hinted rather obviously.

He looked away from her in false modesty. "Ah, so you're some kind of witch or sorceress yourself, Lady Grey?"

"Something like that, yes. And newly single, I might add. My old man made a cad of himself and started fooling around with one of my friends, so I left him and her in the past, and now here I am in the future~"

He raised an eyebrow, but smiled with interest - She was very candid. "I can't help but notice your accent - It's so unique. I can definitely tell you've been all over the world, but I'd hesitate to guess that you spent your childhood in America, didn't you?"

She laughed, "My, you're good! My father was a French immigrant and my mother was Irish, and they met over on the boat to New York! And your accent, British are you?"

"Just spent my schoolboy days there, otherwise I've lived mostly in Enchancia. I did spend a few years in Arendelle as well, though." Hmm - He wasn't normally this open or chatty with people, but this 'Grey Lady" was irresistibly charming...

"Ah, so you're fairly well-traveled yourself then, are you Sir Cedric...?"

He rather liked that 'Sir' bit, too. "Well enough, I suppose..."

Although he was still trying to keep an eye out for Sofia, this refined but surprisingly honest woman held a good deal of his attention, too. She was very talkative, so he didn't have to say as much himself, which was to his liking. She told him all about growing up in America, and funding trips around the world by singing in operas and dancing in ballets. As had been mentioned, she had been married once, but her husband had not stayed true, and so she went traveling again, since she had no children to tie her down - Though she did express some regret at not being able to bring a little one into the world, to which he expressed his sympathy to her.

They shared a cup of punch over by Cedric's tentacle-punch bowl, and when the band began to play a refined waltz, the Grey Lady even managed to convince stuffy Cedric to lead her in a slow dance. Finally, when the night was half over with and the other guests were shuffling into their seats at the table for dinner, she and Cedric stole away outside, neither as interested in dinner as they were in one another's company.

As they strolled leisurely through the garden, aimlessly walking away from the party and the nosy guests, the sorcerer's mature new friend cackled like a witch as he finished telling her an amusing story about his recent travels to Arendelle, and leaned in a little closer to him. He glanced over with a shy smile as she took one of his arms and cradled it close to her bosom as he led her, and mentioned, "I'm usually not so forward with women, but I feel like I should tell you - I think you're very fascinating and beautiful, Lady Grey..."

She squeezed his arm appreciatively at the compliment, "I think you're very interesting and handsome, too, Sir Cedric..."

He suddenly stopped, and pulled her into the shadowy stables. His eyes peered intensely into hers, not just seeking out contact, but wordlessly expressing his desires and intentions. She gave him the exact same stare back, so he just barely hesitated to ask, "M-Madam, would you remove your mask, if I asked you for a kiss...?"

Her whole body jumped up with delight at the suggestion, and he could see the grin in her eyes, even if the lips of the mask remained the same painted stillness. "Aye, I would - But there's something you need to know first, though I'm sure you already guessed as much... I'm probably quite a bit older than you, mature enough though you are. What are you, thirty, thirty-five?" She guessed.

He gave her a smirk, "You flatter me, milady. I'm sure you could tell I'm closer to forty-five, which I am."

"Oh~" She bowed her head at the 'modest' mistake. "Well, I'm still a whole fifteen years older than that... If that's alright with you, well then... Why don't you step into the shadows with me, and I'll remove my mask..."

Now she was shy? That was actually rather adorable, as well as enticing. So he obeyed and stepped into the shadows with her, removing his mask first as he did so. Then he watched as she did the same, noting a beautiful and barely-wrinkled face, smiling but otherwise somewhat neutral looking, at least in the lack of light. Swallowing nervously, and glad his breath currently tasted like fruit punch, he shyly took her by the waist and gazed down into her eyes as he lowered his lips down to hers.

It started off innocently enough at first - They kissed the way young adults kiss in the halls at school, when there were chastising teachers about to keep them in line, and that was more than fine with Cedric. The way they pressed their lips together constantly, back and forth, but still closed, was more than enough to get his heart beating fast and erratic. That was, until the Grey Lady showed some of her nerve again, and darted out her tongue, running it across the line of his lips - Then his heart quite abruptly stopped for two or three beats before resuming rapid-pace.

"M-Milady-?" He gasped, pulling back just an inch and looking down at her in inquiry.

"Oho~" She chuckled under her breath back to him, "I'm sorry, Sir Cedric, it's just - I thought we were in France? Isn't this how the French kiss~?" She pursed her lips back at him in a teasing wisp of a kiss, before then proceeding to grab him by the back of his neck, and drag him back into her kiss, this time demanding entrance from him by also taking him by the chin with her other hand to hold him still. He finally relented to her, and hesitantly opened his mouth, thinking to himself that she seemed a lot more experienced than he initially assumed. Which was just fine with him, considering how much experience he had - That is, none.

Now they kissed like young adults did in secret, when they were sure no prying eyes were around to see. They held their bodies close to one another, and although Cedric had never kissed anyone like this before in his life, after letting her do what she liked for a while at first, he was able to replicate it well enough himself. He would let her swirl her tongue around his for a while, then copy the rotating motions himself on her. Simple though the motions were, they made him feel as if every cell in his body had lit up like a Wassalia candle, and though it really wasn't possible for them to get any closer, that didn't stop them from trying.

It was never agreed how long they would kiss, but it went on for quite a while, as neither seemed to care to stop the other or move from them. But then the clock-tower began to chime, and Lady Grey suddenly gasped and pulled away as the time registered."Oh dear, is it so late already...?" She fretted.

She'd just reached the light of the moonbeams outside the stables when Cedric caught up to her, and gently snatched up her hand, "Milady, wait - What's the problem? Is your carriage about to turn back into a pumpkin?" He jested.

She looked back and gave him a shy giggle, a touch of pink lighting up her cheeks. "Well, no, but... My other spell will be wearing off soon..."

He raised an eyebrow at the silver lady, "What other spell...?" He just began to mumble, when he suddenly realized that not only had her cheeks gone pink, but also her lips, nails, and her dress. Her few wrinkles smoothed out completely, her stormy grey eyes returned to their calm and clear blue, and her grey and silver hair bloomed into it's usual brown with a touch of cinnamon...

"Oh hell..." He barely managed to mumble, because damn it, if it wasn't Lady Sofia herself...

She giggled openly, with no shame at her mischief, and quickly pulled him back into the shadows.

He protested, "But, wait, where's your amulet-?" He almost wanted to believe that this was another evil copy of Sofia, as had happened once before. But she smiled apologetically, and reached for her ponytail. The amulet had been tied and hidden there, and she now resumed it to her neck. Apparently it just had to be on her person in some way to count, not necessarily around her neck.

"You know," Sofia went on, letting her fresh, young hair down again. "Princess Ivy's good sister, Queen Olivia, helped me with this outfit and the spell. I met her while I was traveling through Greece, and I have been to all the places in America that I, or, 'Jane' mentioned too..."

Cedric's cheeks were red-hot with embarrassment, but he also still felt icy cold as he glared and replied, "Oh, so you didn't lie about absolutely -everything-? How noble of you." He quickly dropped the mocking patient smile and frowned at her too, "You tricked me!"

She smiled again, but not so apologetically this time, "I know, and I am sorry - But you know us witches and sorceresses are said to do that from time to time, and well..." Her smile suddenly turned into a knowing smirk. "If you can honestly say you've never lied to anyone yourself, I'll be happy to accept all your criticism..."

Damnation. She had him there, and she had him good. He bit his lip and restrained the urge to say any more, and instead stood and stared, sweating even though it was chilly, whilst she shifted her transparent, shimmering shawl over her shoulders. He finally sighed, rolled his eyes, and took off his coat, throwing it around her and tucking it over her shoulders.

She looked up at him and smiled widely before continuing, "Here's the thing... You liked me well enough when you thought I was fifteen years older than you. And I DO understand that it IS different circumstances," She quickly added before he protested as much himself, "But I know you understand that they're also VERY similar. I really do believe we're soul-mates, Cedric. I am sorry that my soul arrived to this world so much later than yours, but then I suspect your soul may have arrived a little too early as well! And so, if you liked me well enough when I had grey hair and wrinkles, well... Can you really, honestly say you don't find me appealing enough as I am now? Can you really say..." She suddenly stepped in close to him again, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and bringing them in close. "That you don't want me too, the way I want you...?"

He was panicking, his heart was racing, but he didn't try to pull back from her. He was mostly still at first, but a fire had been lit within him, and he knew he had to react quick to contain it. At first he stared at her, slack-jawed for a second, before he rushed to reply in confusion, "The way-What way? What, exactly, DO you want of me...?"

"The whole thing." She replied with a shrug, as if everything was a trifle to ask, and really, for her hand? Of course it was. "I want to go do some more traveling, and help others with my magic for a while. I want you to come with me. Obviously it's not safe for a girl to go into the big wide world alone, so I'd want you there to protect me. But then again, it's not proper for a lady and a gentleman to go off alone together just like that, so we'd have to get married first..."

Cedric's eyes kept managing to somehow get wider, but Sofia went on, closing her own eyes dreamily as she pictured it in her head, "And though it's not something that's immediately on my agenda, I of course would expect to someday have children with the man I marry. I know you think of me as a delicate flower, Cedric, and I do love floral-flavored fruit jellies like rose-peach or lavender-blueberry, but it's the fully matured fruit from the fertile tree that sustains people, not the immature flower..." She was pretty sure even a man as naive as Cedric could sometimes be, had to get the meaning of what she was suggesting to him now. But then again, just to make sure... "I'm ready to fulfill that part of my life soon. And I want it to be with you."

"What! BUT, w-with M-ME?!" The nervous sorcerer shrilly cried back, still in disbelief even after hearing it with his own ears. "And wait, -children-, as in, p-plural-?"

"Oh yes, I'd want at least two. But hopefully three or four?" She opened her eyes again and grinned mischievously up at him.

"Let's NOT get ahead of ourselves now-!" He finally pulled back from her again and crossed his arms in front of his chest, too nervous to be so near her inviting warmth, especially not with her saying such tempting things. "Of course any fool would love to have the great dumb-luck of getting to marry someone as amazing as you, but what I might want and what I might actually have are two very different things! Especially considering your father-!"

Abruptly pulling him back by his sleeve, she cut him off with a firm, sudden kiss - An insisting kiss, before pulling back and locking her eyes onto his. "My opinion is the one that matters most, Cedric, and ultimately, it's the only one that matters at all. What anyone else thinks, even my father, the king, it doesn't matter. The only people whose opinions matter in this, is you and I. Cedric, I want to court you for a short time, and then I want to marry you. I want to travel a while with you, then settle down and raise a family with you, and grow old with you. Do you want to do all that with me too?"

His heart, his lips, and every other part of his body ached for her, begged for her. He couldn't deny her or himself any longer. So he leaned his head down, and softly kissed her cheek, glancing down at her amulet just once before looking away, back up at her cinnamon-colored hair. He just hoped their children had the luck of taking after her. At least two, she said? Well, perhaps a boy to inherit the Family Wand and a girl to inherit Sofia's Amulet wouldn't be so bad, he thought.

"I've never wanted anything more in my life..." He finally admitted to her in a whisper.

She smiled patiently and kissed his cheek in turn, "Well, I'm telling you, you can have me, silly..." She replied, smoothing her hands over the back of his neck and shoulders as she embraced him.

Cedric's frozen limbs finally thawed out, and he wrapped his arms around her waist in kind, squeezing her body to his gently and pressing his cheek against her soft hair. He had no idea how he was going to repay this wonderful woman for how much good she had brought into his life, and how happy she continued to make him. But he supposed, he had the rest of his life to figure it out.

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Cedric had never really believed he'd get married someday, but the few times he'd pondered it, he'd always imagined he'd have a a long engagement first, to make absolutely sure his bride-to-be was truly the right one for him.

But then, he had never expected that the most perfect woman on the planet would ever offer her hand in marriage to him on an almost literal silver platter, either. So when Sofia insisted that they make their announcement sooner than later, he saw little reason not to indulge her - She had been waiting long enough, as had he, even if he didn't know he was waiting at the time. Besides, if King Roland was going to kill him for this, best to get it over with.

They did wait until James and Vivian's wedding had passed, and then a little longer until Spring came, since if Cedric was going to come clean to Roland, he would at least do it in favorable weather. Finally, on the morning of the first of March, Sofia came to her fiance's room and greeted him with a kiss on the cheek, and informed him, "Cedric, I told my mother this morning that I would have an announcement for the family this afternoon at tea..." She began, the blush on her cheeks making it more than obvious what she was speaking of.

"Right." He agreed with a small sigh, "Well, I got a new pair of 'good robes' for the occasion, and the gloves with fingers that you insisted upon." He raised his hands and showed her the smart new dragon's hide gloves. "It still wouldn't be good enough for my father, but hopefully it's enough for yours..."

She kissed him again, this time on the forehead, in reassurance. "You're everything to me. If he can't be happy for us, it'll be his loss. But I'm sure father won't be cross once he's listened to what we have to say."

Accepting her guidance and putting his nerves beneath him, Cedric nodded and got as ready as he was able by the time afternoon tea had come, and sat outside the tea parlor as Sofia went in to begin things for them.

Her mother and father were sitting at one end of the table, and on either sides Amber and Desmond, and Julian, James and Vivian were sitting with their biscuits and tea. Opposite of the King and Queen, they had left the final space open for Sofia to address them as she had requested. Stepping up to the end of the table, Sofia took a deep breath, and began, "Good afternoon, family. As I'm sure mother has already informed you, I have an announcement to make..."

She paused a moment as she noticed Amber taking a sip of her tea. After noticing she was looking right at her, Amber raised an eyebrow back at her sister, "What?"

Sofia gave her a knowing smirk, "Oh, nothing. I'm just waiting for you to put the cup down first."

Amber blinked in recognition, then put the teacup down as she'd been asked. "Ooh, so it's one of -those- kinds of announcements..."

"It's nothing bad!" Sofia insisted, "In fact, it's great news! Family... I've fallen in love with someone, and I'm going to marry them!"

Amber's eyes went wide and she gasped with delight at the thought of another wedding to plan, and of course she was overjoyed for her sister too. But then realization dawned on her, and she glanced back at the teacup before looking back at Sofia suspiciously, "Wait... Who IS this person...?

"Yes, Sofia, who on Earth is he?" Miranda quickly followed after a brief battle with her emotions.

Roland wrapped his arm around his wife's shoulders proudly, "Yes, do tell! Who is the lucky man?"

Beaming like the sun, Sofia stepped over to the door and disappeared behind it for a few seconds. When she reemerged, every smiling face in the room fell as the mystery man stepped in with her. In the corner, Baileywick gasped out loud at the sight - A good steward knew which shades of make-up the ladies of the house preferred, so after seeing the color on Cedric's lips that night, he'd had his suspicions. But he never really believed he was correct about THAT...

After gaping for a moment or two, Amber remarked in a sigh, "Wow, I am SO glad I put the glass down..."

"Sofia... It's a little early for April Fool's jokes, isn't it...?" Roland mumbled in shock, not quite yet believing what he was hearing and seeing.

But Sofia shook her head patiently, and linked her arm with Cedric's, who looked away from everyone in embarrassment. "I know this will be shocking for you, and I know why. But I've been in love with Cedric for many years, and before you jump to any conclusions, you should know - He tried his very best to be a gentleman and rebuffed me many times because of my age, and after bothering him for years, he has finally agreed to marry me. I understand completely if this comes as a shock to you, but I dearly hope you will come to regard him as family, because I love him so, and I know he's worthy of all the love I have to give..."

"...Well, good luck to you Sofia, but I got to say, this is officially the weirdest thing I've seen all year." James suddenly proclaimed with a shrug.

For which his wife gave him a mild glare, "James, be nice. I think it's wonderful that Sofia found someone to love and spend her life with."

"Besides, the year just started." Amber quipped after her.

Desmond nudged her too, "Sofia seems like a great judge of character. If this is the person she wants to marry, I'm confident in her choice."

"Yeah!" Julian piped up, giving his big sister a great, big grin. "Sofia's the smartest person I know! She wouldn't marry just anybody! And Mister Cedric is a great sorcerer!" He added, as Cedric had been quite the hit at his last birthday party.

Miranda and Roland glanced at one another after listening to the rest of the family on the matter. They spoke without words, but with only the glances between them. Finally they nodded briefly to one another, and turned their glances back to Cedric. Roland spoke for the both of them, "I'm also confident that Sofia would never marry someone she didn't love with all her heart... But this is still -quite- a shock!" He had to impress, and Sofia nodded in acceptance of that. "I have to ask... Cedric, would you mind sitting down and speaking to me alone, man to man?"

The sorcerer had of course seen this coming from miles away, but the dread he felt still managed to be much greater than he'd imagined it would be. After swallowing several times, he finally managed to nod and answer, "Y-Yes, your majesty..."

Roland strolled off to the adjoining room, motioning for Baileywick to follow them, mostly so that both Sofia and Cedric would be assured he wasn't about to do anything unreasonable with a witness present. Once the Steward had closed the door behind them, the King turned and faced the Sorcerer, and addressed him, "Cedric, let me mention a few things that are presently on my mind in light of recent events - First of all, when you first came to work at the castle, I'll admit I was pretty underwhelmed by you in comparison to your father, and, no offense, for good reason. But over the years you showed me that I was unfair to judge you so hastily, because you are a truly talented sorcerer, and personally, I do believe you are a man of good character, overall, and I'm sure you'd never hurt Sofia even if you could." He mentioned very pointedly.

Cedric almost let himself sigh with a little relief, until the King went on, "However, there is something that worries me Cedric... I assume it didn't occur to you. But your father, Goodwin, told me a while back ago that the man who attacked the castle years ago, that Billy Blight... He told me that man is actually your biological father." Cedric's eyes went wide although his mouth stayed shut, and Roland continued, "I worry, Cedric, that the magic your biological father used to bewitch Sofia... Might that be what's causing her to become attracted to you now?"

Cedric's heart sank. As hard as he had tried not to hurt Sofia, had he gone and done it anyways? "I..."

The door suddenly opened, and all three men stared as the Lady in questioned stepped inside with a stern look on her face for all of them, but especially her father and fiance. "You're wrong about that." She told them, "All wrong! That horrible man's magic isn't what made me love Cedric! My love for Cedric was what made it so easy for him to ensnare me! Please, if you think something concerns me, tell or ask -me- about it, father! And you!" She looked over at Cedric now, her hands on her hips. But her stern look softened quickly when she saw how whipped he already looked, and she only mildly chided him, "Don't ever doubt our love again..."

He nodded slowly, and she smiled again before holding out her hand for him. He took it gratefully, and stood by her side once more as she concluded, "Please understand, father. I know you never imagined this for me. I know you imagined much different and grander things. But this is what -I- want..."

Roland sighed, and slowly nodded. "I can't say I understand it, but I accept it... Cedric." The King turned to his Sorcerer and bowed his head just slightly, much to the magic-maker's surprise. "I'm sure I don't have to tell you, but you're a very lucky man."

"Incomprehensibly lucky..." He agreed rather weakly, bowing lower.

Sofia smiled at the exchange, then took her fiance by the arm and began to lead him away, remarking as she did so, "Cedric, I do believe an Autumn Wedding sounds very pretty, what do you think?"

He grinned genuinely back at her, "Like a Harvest Wedding? I think it sounds perfect, my dear."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

'Dear Sarah,

Hello Mother, it's me, your son, Cedric. I would have written you again soon anyways, I promise, but I do have especially exciting news to write you for this time. I never thought you'd be right about this, mum, but you were - I'm getting married in the fall! I don't know how I got so incredibly lucky, but the most beautiful bride in the whole wide world asked me to be hers. I couldn't say no. To be completely honest though, because I don't want you to be shocked when you see her, she is quite a bit younger than me. At first I was very hesitant to return her affections, but she was quite insistent and... Well, she was -very- insistent!

Anyways though! If you should still feel up to traveling, you can either come directly on the boat that comes to deliver this letter, they'll offer you a ride if you want to leave right away, or you could catch the next, but I wouldn't feel bad if weren't able to come at all if your health won't permit it. Well, I mean, of course I'd feel bad if you were unhealthy, but you know what I meant.

If you were able to come though, I'm sure my bride - Her name is Lady Sofia Adela of Enchancia, by the way - Would absolutely delight you, mother. She has said that she very much wants to meet you, and of course, I would always love to see you again too. My mother and father, Winifred and Goodwin, have also said they'd like to see you again.

I hope this letter finds you well. Naturally I'll send a few copies to make sure they make it, since it's such an extra important event.

Love Always,

Your Son,

Cedric the Sensational'

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

It was a bright and sunny Summer day when the mail-and-trade-boat to Arendelle arrived. At Sofia's insistence, Cedric went out with her to the dock to see if Sarah might have arrived with it. She in fact had read the letter the second she got it, and had begun packing her bags as soon as she read it. Little Princess Inge and her little sisters cried when she left, but she promised them that she'd come back soon.

Despite never being on a boat before, Sarah had a much better stomach for it than her son, and she was standing by the bow as she watched it come closer and closer to the pier. When Cedric recognized her, he put his hand up and began to wave. Once she saw him, Sarah waved back, until the ship got close enough to actually see her son and, specifically, the incredibly beautiful girl standing next to him, with her arm wound around his. Then the old mother gasped and covered her open mouth with her hands in shock as she squealed, "CEDRIC! Is that her?! That PRINCESS standing next to you?! She's your bride?!" She didn't know yet that Sofia had once actually been a real princess, but she looked just like one to Sarah.

Sofia smiled and waved to her too as she called back, "Hello! You can call me Sofia, if it's alright for me to call you mum?"

"OHOHO~" Sarah giggled madly, hopping on her toes with excitement, "Are you kidding? You wonderful girl, you can call me the Loch Ness Monster for all I care! My boy is getting MARRIED~!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

On the few times he had ever entertained what he believed at the time to be nonsense, Cedric had always thought that, if he was to get married at all, it should be a small ceremony with only the very closest of family and friends in attendance. But of course, he never in a hundred years would have believed he'd be marrying a beautiful social butterfly and former princess, who of course had made so many friends in such high places over the years, that it would be unheard of not to invite them all, lest anyone be offended. Even though she was no longer an official princess, her wedding was more talked about than even Amber's. Though of course, no one was about to tell the future queen that.

So of course she had to invite her old school buddies from Royal Prep and their families, and then the teachers from Royal Prep too, her closest friends from the village and their families, all the various friends she'd made in various places and of various social standings. After she was done listing out the bare minimum of people she had to invite, Cedric suddenly realized it was a good thing he didn't have very many friends himself after all, because to fit in all of Sofia's crew they'd have to use the groom's seating arrangements too.

So it was also a good thing that they had so many accomplished chefs at Enchancia Castle, to feed so many guests, but also Winifred had offered to personally bake and decorate their wedding cake for them. Since it was an Autumn or 'Harvest' Wedding, she had offered to make them a slightly modified version of her famous Harvest Bread, which was like a spiced fruit-cake made with all the different produce that came along with the end of the harvest. But instead of making a bread, she said, she planned to take out the seeds and nuts, and add cake flour instead, and make it a Harvest Cake, which she then planned to smother in a buttercream frosting.

Sofia and Cedric were delighted by the suggestion, and Sarah was more than eager to offer to help her. She and Winifred got along swimmingly, and grumpy Goodwin seemed sweeter to everyone, even Cedric, with the spirited woman from Arendelle around, both because she was so chipper, and because she was quick to defend Cedric along with Winifred whenever Goodwin criticized him. And with two determined women on Cedric's side, Goodwin didn't stand a chance.

Almost everyone responded that they would be attending, but unfortunately a few people responded in the opposite. Well, mostly unfortunate. Cedric was rather glad that his also-adopted sister had once again chosen her love for her cat companion, the odious Mister Two-Claws. The tabby cat was a polydactyl, and had an extra two claws on the front two paws. As if the temperamental beast wasn't bad enough, but it actually had more claws than most awful cats! Oh but his sister spoiled the thing rotten, and had even turned down the job as Royal Sorcerer when it was discovered that the King was allergic to cats! Cedric had -NEVER- gotten over that, how he got his job by chance, by luck, because it should have gone to his much more talented sister-witch, and he'd only gotten it because of... Because of that mean, smelly cat!

...But, then again, if that never had happened he would have never grown to know Sofia, and had all the interesting adventures with her that he'd had. On second thought, perhaps he ought to send his 'dear' sister a package of toys and treats for the foul feline...

One of the other people that responded that they could not come, well, it was the strangest thing, actually - A messenger came to the castle very suddenly one morning, wearing wet clothes and constantly wincing and stumbling as they walked, as if they were not accustomed to walking or had, apparently, just swam a great distance? And the messenger didn't stay a moment longer than necessary, hastily giving Sofia a wad of seaweed, and informing her quickly, "Princess Oona, Princess Cora and Queen Emmalline send their regrets at being unable to attend, but they also send a gift - The Queen said, 'She had many sisters', and that you would know what that means! Congratulations and good luck!" Immediately after saying all that, the messenger ran back to wherever he had come from, wincing, "Ouch! Ouch, ow!" All the way out of the castle.

When Sofia opened the soggy seaweed package, she found the most lovely strand of vibrant purple pearls inside. She grinned and hugged the necklace before putting it away in her pocket.

A few days later, Sofia pulled her fiance aside and requested of him, "Cedric, come with me - I want you to see something!"

He followed her, and she led him to her bedroom. He stopped her at the door, and nervously inquired, "Wait-?"

She rolled her eyes, "Cedric, it's my DRESS! I want you to see it!"

He raised an eyebrow back at her, "But isn't that supposed to be bad luck?"

"That sounds silly." She replied dismissively, finally dragging him the rest of the way in. His eyes went wide as he saw the garment - Which was beautiful, but much more simple and plain than he'd expected of Sofia's wedding dress. It wasn't poofy at all like her usual 'princess' dresses - It was long and flowing. The simple, pure white, with no designs upon it, flowed down over the mannequin Sofia had it set upon. The sleeves were long, which was appropriate because the Autumn weather would likely be a little chilly. The neck was also shaped like a 'V', which was designed to show off the new and improved Amulet of Avalor, which is what truly had Cedric's eye more than anything. Sofia had set the amulet on the strand of pearls that the weird, wet messenger had sent her, and he now just noticed that the pearls were the exact same vibrant purple color as the Amulet.

She explained, "When I was out adventuring with Tilly, we met this mermaid clan that I also once met as a girl. One day their Queen pointed to my amulet and said 'She had sisters, you know. I'll send them to you later.' I never knew what she meant until I saw this... The centerpiece gem in the Amulet of Avalor - It's a pearl. Or, part of one, kind of. 'Mother of Pearl', I think it's called. When the pearl only half-forms in the shell prematurely. These fully formed pearls are the sisters of the Amulet of Avalor. Now, they're finally together again, and so, they're more powerful than ever..."

He stared in awe as she put the strand and the amulet on her neck once more. She was more complete as a woman, as a sorceress, in this moment, than he'd ever seen her before. Then she shyly took the wedding dress into her closet to change, leaving him to wait, blushing, while he sat on her bed. But when she came out, she had him blushing twice as red from how beautiful she was.

Glorious, really. That simple white dress, more than any garment he'd ever seen her wear, truly made her look like the angel he knew she was. She blushed too, feeling the need to explain, "I know it's rather simple, but I wear extravagant dresses so often, they kind of bore me, to be honest. I wanted to be comfortable more than anything on my wedding day, and well, this is actually the dress my mother wore when she married her first husband, my father Julian, so... I thought, if I wore this, it would be kind of like he's here to see the wedding too..."

"I think it's perfect." He insisted, some wetness gathering in his eyes.

She laid her head on his shoulder and hugged him, hiding her tears. "I think so too..."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

When the big day finally came, though the groom was convinced he had things the worst, everyone in the castle was bustling nervously to and fro, determined to make Lady Sofia's wedding the most perfect wedding ever. Baileywick and Sarah worked together to strand white and golden-orange colored dahlias everywhere, as well as purple salvias, which most sorcerers adorned their special occasions with, for good luck and a magical boost.

The kitchen crew had prepared a feast of Fall-themed French dishes to accompany Winifred's much talked-about Iced Harvest Wedding Cake, which towered over seven tiers with how many guests were expected to attend. To start, there was to be a refreshing pear and walnut salad with strawberry champagne vinaigrette, and either traditional French onion soup or a cheesy pureed pumpkin and cauliflower soup. Then the main course, a coq au vin braised in the finest Enchancian Burgundy - That is, for the meat-eating crowd. Sofia personally tried to keep her diet as vegetarian as she could manage, for obvious reasons. It was just too awkward to have to talk to something you might have eaten a family member of. But she did allow herself to have eggs and milk, with the express permission of the chickens and dairy cows they came from, of course. So the chef specially prepared her and her fellow vegetarian and vegan crowd roasted vegetable ratatouille and a quiche au fromage with creme fraiche and chopped scallions.

To complete things, Goodwin had magically enchanted several bottles of pink champagne to continuously pour down and back up in a fountain-like shape, but with no actual fountain. You could go up and fill your glass from any part of the fountain, and it would maintain its shape until it was in your glass. Once there, the guest would soon discover that the beverage was just as crisp and bubbly as if it had just come out of a freshly-corked bottle.

As nervous as he was though, Cedric made sure to stay away from the champagne. The crowd of guests that arrived was even bigger than he'd imagined it would be, and he could feel all of their eyes on him, judging him - That's the guy who's marrying Lady Sofia? She could have had anyone in the world, and she chose HIM? He could see them whispering to each other and he just knew that was what they were saying...

It was nerve-wracking, waiting behind the podium for the ceremony to start, and watching more and more guests shuffle into the castle courtyard where the wedding was taking place. He'd never done well around crowds, and more was at stake now than ever before. This wasn't just one of his usual magic shows, which everyone expected him to fail at anyways - This was his wedding, and not just -his- wedding, but Sofia's wedding. Everything -needed- to be perfect, but Cedric just -knew- he'd find a way to screw everything up, like always. What if he clammed up when it came time to say his vows? What if he missed her mouth when he was supposed to kiss her? Oh merlin, what if he got -gas-?

He was close to biting his fingernails with fright when he finally heard 'Here comes the Bride' begin to play on the piano, his signal to take his place at the podium. On the way, he almost tripped over the hem of his white wedding robe, but thankfully everyone was too focused on the beautiful bride to notice his comical blunder. He soon joined them in their awestruck stupor as she made her way down the aisle, between the two pews which were both completely full.

Cedric quickly forgot all his anxiety as he watched her walk towards him, more stricken than anyone else in the crowd. Could this really be happening? Could the most perfect woman in the world really be his, for the low, low price of the rest of his life? A trifle, since he was sure that if he ever had to go a day without her again, he would surely die.

When she finally reached him at the podium, he beamed at her, so full of happiness and pride. No veil separated her lovely face from his view, and she smiled back at him. But he couldn't help but notice, she seemed a little... Distracted?

Well, nevermind it. She was probably just as nervous as he was, in front of all these people. Glancing back over at the pews, he gave a bashful smile to his two mothers and father as the priest began to recite, "Dearly beloved. We are gathered here today..."

As the old holy man droned out the predictable speech, Cedric couldn't help but notice something rather strange. Behind the pews, some solitary figure was standing in a long, dark red robe. He had a cloak pulled over his head so that his face couldn't be seen, but there was something disconcertingly familiar about that form... Where had he seen it before...?

Bah, what was he doing? He was getting married to the most wonderful woman in the world, and he was worried about some old hermit who had probably sneaked into the party for a free meal? So he redirected his gaze back where in belonged, on his bride. But then he noticed, that Sofia was looking right at the strange man too...

Cedric looked back at him, and suddenly he gasped as the hooded figure suddenly threw off his cloak, and shot a silencing spell at the priest before taking over the speech for himself, "We are gathered here today, to watch the demise of two great fools! HAH!"

Everyone turned and stared in shock and disgust with the newcomer and his interruption, but Sarah gasped outright in fright when she saw the face of the cur. Noticing her reaction, the fresh young face redirected his glowing green eyes at her, and sneered, "Oh, my dear Sarah! Fancy meeting you here. How frightfully old and ugly you're looking~ But I supposed that's to be expected at your age."

The old mother's eyes went wide and her mouth dropped in indignation, before she snapped it shut and shot back at him, "I won't say what you look like, William. It's too vulgar for even a old hag like me to utter..."

Baileywick, who was sitting next to her, put a hand on her shoulder in support and glared at the uncouth 'young' sorcerer, who sneered at all the wedding guests who were currently giving him similar looks. The white-haired cad went on, "I must say, I'm quite offended that -I- of all people didn't get an invitation! The father of the groom, not invited to his own son's wedding! How uncivilized." He remarked, turning his head and spitting on the ground. "Now how do you suppose I should react to an injustice like that..."

Sofia turned and fixed her eyes right upon his. The look in her eyes was enough to send a chill down her husband's spine, and making a man shiver who had spent nearly ten years in the land of ice and snow, was no small feat. "I knew it..." She muttered.

"Hmm? What's that?" Billy sneered back at her, "Would you like to beg for mercy, little girl?"

Right in the middle of his gloating, Sofia suddenly pulled out her wand, which had been hidden in her wedding bouquet, and pointed it at the pews, "Auxilium Arma!" She cried out, and a surge of lavender light left her want, encasing all the guests in a protective purple shield of magical aura.

Taking the chance she presented by putting the safety of others first, Billy tried to send an electric shock her way. But Cedric had quickly pulled out his wand from his robes as well, and shot back, "Flexilis Pila!"

His spell created a rubber bubble which trapped the electric shocks within itself, neutralizing them. But Billy was young and quick, and he shot out two more similar spells at the young lovers, rapid fire, too quick to counter.

"SPIRITUS ARMA!" Sofia suddenly shouted just in the nick of time, covering herself and Cedric with a powerful shield made out of her spiritual energy, a vibrant purple-colored barrier which reflected Billy's energy blasts back at him. They hit him right in the chest, knocking him onto his back, but he quickly got back up with a deep growl.

"Oh, so you've learned a trick or two, have you, girl?" He sneered at her.

She leveled an unimpressed gaze back at him. "I'll tell you what I've learned, Billy. It was the hardest lesson I ever had to learn..." Reaching down and taking Cedric's hand in hers, she went on, "I've always wanted to believe in the goodness of people. I wanted to believe that if you just showed someone love, they'd turn out to be a good person underneath. And that's true most of the time. But then there's people like you..." She narrowed her eyes, full of scorn for him. "People like you, who don't have even a scrap of goodness within them. Who would try to ruin your own son's wedding for revenge. I had to accept that evil like you existed in this world. So I did, to protect myself and my loved ones. I already knew you were coming today, Billy..."

He raised an eyebrow at her cryptic words, "What are you talking about?"

To everyone's further shock, another surprise guest stepped out from behind the podium - A beautiful middle-aged woman, who despite having a youthful face, already had silver hair, which was braided behind her. She wore a silver dress with black butterflies on it, and a silver crown. It was none other than Queen Olivia, monarch of the kingdom of monotone and silence.

Unnerved at not being the only surprise guest as he'd expected, Billy was about to shoot another shocking spell at the newcomer, but first Sofia quickly pointed her wand at him first, and commanded, "Silentium!"

Glowing yellow rays of light shot from Sofia's wand and bound themselves around Billy's body, pinning his arms to his sides and immobilizing him. Ignoring the foul language that came flying from his mouth right after, Sofia kept him suspended in place while Olivia pointed her own wand at him and called out, "Incarcerare Esse!"

Billy fought back fiercely against Sofia's stillness-spell, but by then Cedric, Goodwin and Tilly had all joined in to help her, each binding him with another color of light, and pushing him back into a vortex behind him that had been created by Queen Olivia's spell. With the enhanced and completed Amulet of Avalor in her possession, Sofia would have been enough against him on her own, but he definitely didn't stand a chance with that many talented sorcerers ganging up on him.

"NO!" The wicked wizard shouted as the vortex began to suck him in, "THIS CAN'T BE - RRR, I'LL GET YOU-!"

"Perficere sigillum." Queen Olivia called out calmly over his protests, and the vortex grew exponentially in intensity, drawing Billy in by his precious white hair first, then sucking the rest of his body in. As soon as he was gone, the vortex disappeared as well with a loud 'pop!', and a strong gust of swirling wind that left everyone who had left their hair down that day with a serious case of mop-head. Other than that, though, everyone was completely fine.

Well, for the most part. Many of the non-magical guests were visibly shaken by all the theatrics, and sat blinking in confusion, wondering what just happened. Cedric and Sofia both broke out into a bit of a light sweat at all their stares, until finally the former princess laughed it off and addressed them, as lighthearted as she could be considering the embarrassing interruption and her somewhat violent reaction, "Ahaha - I'm so sorry about that, everyone! Sometimes you've got to just stop what you're doing and seal away an evil sorcerer, you know?"

It was such a strange thing to say, but since she said it so blithely, everyone accepted it and even found themselves chuckling along as the sociable Sofia continued, nudging her father-in-law, "Goodwin knows what I'm talking about!"

"Aye, that I do." He agreed after a good chuckle. "No reason to spoil this happy occasion just because of him - Carry on, pastor!" He called to the nervous holy-man, who was hiding behind the podium and had his toupee knocked off by the wind, leaving him comically bald.

Cedric was still reeling over how that situation had so narrowly avoided leaving the wedding a complete disaster, and the pastor was so caught off-guard by the events that he completely forgot what part of the vows he had left off at. After a few nervous moments of stammering, the priest finally just gave up on the flowery words and settled on, "Oh dear - By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife! You may now kiss the-"

Sofia only let him get that far before throwing her arms around Cedric and pulling him into a playful but passionate kiss, which left the sorcerer wide-eyed and red-faced, knowing that everyone's eyes were on them.

The pastor blinked at the display, and finished awkwardly, "...Er, groom. You may now kiss the groom, apparently. I'm... I'm just gonna go look for my toupee now..." He mentioned quietly before excusing himself. He'd presided over hundreds of weddings before, but this was easily the weirdest...

The rest of the reception went much more smoothly than that, thankfully.

Dinner was served, and everyone agreed it was delicious. But everyone also made sure to save plenty of room for dessert, with the famous Harvest Cake on the menu. The bride and groom fed each other the first pieces of cake, as was traditional, and then afterwards everyone else dug into it too. Oftentimes at weddings there is lots of cake left over that has to be given away, but Winifred's cake vanished down to nothing but crumbs within the hour. And soon, not even the crumbs were left, as they were eagerly snatched up by Sofia's bird-friends.

After the meal, Sofia threw the bouquet, and to everyone's surprise, though many maidens were clamoring for it, the flowers landed right in Sarah's lap, who wasn't even trying to catch it. Then the royal musicians began to play. The first few songs were slow and peaceful, and as was also traditional, the bride and groom danced first. Cedric was more than a little nervous about stepping on Sofia's feet, since obviously he didn't really dance much. But Sofia was patient with him, and they had rehearsed a few times in secret, so he managed to complete the dance without causing anyone pain or embarrassment.

Sofia then shared a dance with Roland, and Cedric waltzed with Winifred. After that the rest of the guests shuffled onto the dance floor, and the musicians changed the music to some sprightly string instruments. Sofia managed to convince Cedric to twirl her around on the dance floor a few times, although since the music was much faster, he did accidentally step on her feet a couple times after all. But she quickly forgave him for it, and after a single glass of champagne to calm his nerves, soon she had him sweeping her across the dance floor like an old pro.

The party went on until very late, but finally the guests started excusing themselves from the merriment. Sofia was sure to personally thank Queen Olivia for her help before she left, and once the rest of the guests has also finally trudged off to bed, Cedric suddenly realized, it would soon be time for him and Sofia to do the same...

Together. Right. Because that's what married couples do. They sleep in the same bed, and...

His cheeks went as red as Wassailia holly. Knowing exactly why, Goodwin gave him a smirk before he left and remarked, "Good luck~" Before disappearing back to Mystic Meadows with Winifred.

Of course Sofia tried to help out with the clean-up process, but Baileywick wouldn't hear of it, "Sarah and I will take care of this, Sofia." He insisted, and so finally, arms linked, the bride and groom headed back into the castle.

"We can sleep in your room tonight, if you like." She suggested with a little squeeze, making Cedric's already pink face turn even brighter. When they had finally arrived outside his door, he was practically quaking in his boots from the anxiety.

Finally, just before opening the door, Cedric stopped and, looking away from her, he mumbled quietly, "Um... S-Sofia, there's something I need to say..."

"Yes?" She smiled patiently at him.

He sputtered incomprehensibly for a moment before finding his voice again, though only barely, "It's just, um, about this part... I just, I'm not sure I'm ready to, tonight..." He blathered, quite sure that he sounded like a simpleton.

But his wife continued to smile, in fact now she was grinning. "To be honest, Cedric..." She let out a deep yawn. "I'm actually awfully tired now myself. Sealing that evil sorcerer away took a lot out of me. So I think it would be nice just to get a good night's sleep..."

Cedric stared at her in wonder. Of course she was tired. When he had last fought against Billy Blight, he barely managed to kick him out of the castle before he was left so magically drained that he couldn't even walk by himself. This amazing woman had sealed him away forever, then proceeded to dance the night away...

"Right..." He nodded solemnly, then, with a sudden mischievous smile as he opened the door, he held out his arms to her in invitation. "I do believe I'm supposed to carry you across the threshold, isn't that so?"

She blushed and giggled. "Well it IS traditional, but I don't want you to hurt yourself, I'm sure I'm quite heavy-Whoa!"

He dismissed her protests and put his arms around her back and knees, hefting her up into his arms. She was a bit heavier than he expected, but he had grown stronger over the years, so he was strong enough to carry her into the room and over to their bed, at least.

She smiled warmly up at him as he laid her down, then reached up and dragged him down onto the bed too, rolling the two of them over until she was on top of him. She held him by the jaw and kissed him silly for a moment or two, then she she rolled back over to his side, and cuddled up against him, her head tucked on his chest.

"Good night, Cedric." She yawned again, closing her eyes and relaxing against him. "I love you..."

He quietly mumbled back to her, "I love you, too..." But to be honest, he actually felt guilty saying it. The words didn't feel big or important enough to really convey how he felt about her. How she had saved his life several times over in every sense of the word, how she made him happier than anyone ever had before. And especially, how she made him feel right now, sleeping in his arms, against his chest, her soft cinnamon hair falling in silken waves over his shoulder...

It was as if everything was right with the world. As if everything was exactly how it should be, at long last...

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

They were in no hurry to leave right away for their honeymoon, since they planned to go traveling for at least a couple years, so the newly wedded couple stayed at the palace for another week, spending time with Sarah until she had to go back home to Arendelle.

When the day finally came that she had to board her boat and return home, she was humbled to find that a small crowd had come to see her off, including her son and his wife of course, but also Goodwin and Winifred, King Roland and Queen Miranda, and much to her happiness and relief, Baileywick...

The aging steward was the last to give her his regards, but when he did, he blushed, and reached into his pocket, "I'd like to give you something, Miss Sarah... To remember me by."

He proceeded to pull out one of his fancy, immaculate handkerchiefs - But this wasn't the usual handkerchiefs he used to wipe just anything. These were the specially embroidered handkerchiefs, which had the Royal Crest of Enchancia sewn upon the corners.

Her eyes shined as she took the beautiful piece of fabric and held it to her heart. "Thank you so much, Mister Baileywick... Oh, here, I have one for you too!" She remembered, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a similar fancy handkerchief, this one with the Royal Crest of Arendelle.

"Until we see each other again?" She added hopefully.

"Nothing would delight me more." He replied, his blush turning a little pinker.

But then it quickly turned outright red, when Sarah suddenly reached up and placed a peck of a kiss on his cheek, right before dashing off to climb onto her boat. Blushing too, she then waved to everyone, giggling at how Baileywick was holding the cheek that she'd kissed, and Cedric was staring at her with his mouth wide open in shock at what she'd done.

"Forget me not, my loves!"

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Another week after that, Cedric and Sofia had gathered everything they needed for their trip. Sofia had magically enchanted a purse, very similar to Tilly's, and had made it so that an incredible number of things could be stored in the seemingly tiny space. Among other things, she packed into it all kinds of various camping gear, several sets of clothes, treats for both the humans and their animal companions, a compass, a few maps, and an extensive first-aid kit, which included everything from bandages and sunscreen lotion, to cobra and jellyfish anti-venom. Because you never know when you might need cobra or jellyfish anti-venom.

Then their respective families got together to see them off. The Royal Family all gave Sofia great big hugs, and Winifred told her son how proud she was of him. Even Goodwin agreed with her on that, although it was mostly because he 'Never expected him to find such a fine wife'.

Then the Goodwins headed over to send their love to Sofia, and King Roland came to address Cedric. The sorcerer stood up straight as the king regarded him with a mostly neutral gaze, "I trust you'll bring back my daughter safe and sound, Cedric?"

Cedric wisely resisted the urge to roll his eyes or scoff at that, but he couldn't help but quip, "All due respect, your majesty, but I'm fairly sure I'll be relying on her to get me home safe, not the other way around."

After a short, stern glance, the king suddenly bubbled up into a laugh. "I wouldn't doubt it! Not that I really blame you either, since Sofia has saved my life more than once too. Just try not to let her put herself in too much danger, alright Cedric?"

He nodded and then bowed his head low, "I will try, your majesty."

At last, after the tearful goodbyes were said and done with, Sofia and Cedric headed out down the road, hand in hand. Sofia carried the magical purse, which Clover was peeking out of, and her husband had their faithful watchdog Frost-Eye on a leash. There were all kinds of dangerous folks in the world, after all, so it was good to have a ferocious beast on your side.

After walking for a short while, Cedric inquired, "By the way, exactly where are we going? I suppose it's silly, but we never really talked about that."

Sofia smiled and shrugged. "We'll go where we're needed."

"That really isn't a specific location, though..." He argued, until she reached over and shut him up with a kiss.

"Does it really matter where we go, as long as we're together?" She asked sincerely.

He smiled back at her, pacified by her tenderness, at least for now. "I suppose not..."

Her smile stretched into a grin. "Come on, Cedric - The whole world is our oyster. Let's go find some pearls!"

So they went, off into the world. Together.

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(( Author's Notes: Though this is a fine ending for now, I do have one more sequel in mind for the "Heart Series", so don't be sad yet. ^^ Also just in case anyone is curious, here is a quick guide to the spells I used in this fic...

Auxilium Arma - Protective Shield

Flexilis Pila - Rubber Ball

Spiritus Arma - Spirit Shield

Silentium - Silence or Stillness.

Incarcerare Esse - Imprison the Existence

Perficere sigillum - Complete the Seal

Making up spell-words like they do in the show is fine, but I sometimes I like to go with Latin instead, because it makes the magic sound more serious. XD Alright, hope you guys enjoyed the fic! And if you did, please leave a review! =D ))


	6. In My Heart Always, Part 1

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Cedric was normally not the type to wake up bright and early in the morning anyways, but especially not after what had occurred the night before. Yes, it was in fact the 'Morning After', and Sofia had, upon waking up an hour earlier than her husband, taken out the ice-box from her bottomless bag of mysteries. It contained, among other things, some potatoes and eggs, which she began to cook in a skillet that she also procured over the fireplace.

When the delicious smell reached his nostrils, the sleepy sorcerer finally began to stir, yawning and sitting up in bed. He had, just upon awakening, briefly forgotten where he was or what had transpired. But only a few seconds later, it very abruptly began to come back to him, as he realized that he was naked under the covers, and Sofia was wearing only a very enticing silk robe, a sensual, dark purple in color.

When she noticed he had awaken, Sofia smiled back at him, enchanting the skillet to hover by itself over the flame while she strutted over to her husband's bed-side. "Good morning, dear~" She just about cooed, kissing him on the forehead.

"M-M-Morning..." He barely managed to mumble back to her, currently in a rather stupefied state.

"I made breakfast!" She continued in an excessively cheerful chirp, as the magical skillet dished itself out onto some plates on a nearby tea-table behind her. "Come and eat it now, before it gets cold~"

She leaned down again and planted a sweet kiss on his cheek, put a dark green robe over him, and took his hand in hers as he got out of the bed, walking him over to the table. A good thing too, because wasn't sure he wouldn't have tipped over from shock that the previous night hadn't been just a dream, after all. He sat down in his chair as she directed him to, more than a little overwhelmed. So overwhelmed, in fact, that he seemed more numb than anything. So he picked up his fork wordlessly, and tucked into the food instead.

Sofia did the same, and they ate in an almost comfortable silence for a while, until Sofia was finally propelled to speak up about her husband's obvious strange mood. "Is everything alright, Cedric, dear?"

He stopped mid-bite, and put the fork down. Well, since she mentioned it. "Sofia... Last night..." He blushed deep red, and so did she, though she was also grinning ear-to-ear. "You were... Glowing." He stated very clearly, concentrating hard not to stutter.

She let out a mischievous little giggle. "Oh, I'm sure I was~"

He stubbornly shook his head, "No, Sofia, I don't think you understand - You were -literally- glowing-"

She snorted back a laugh, interrupting him, "No, Cedric, I don't think -you- understand - I'm a sorceress, remember? We tend to glow sometimes..." She shrugged, sipping at her tea to hide her shy smile.

He somehow managed to blush a deeper red, and looked back down at his plate in embarrassment, "I knew that already, but I meant-" He tried to go on, but jumped in his seat when he felt his wily wife suddenly rub her leg against his under the table, effectively shutting him up again.

Sofia took another sip of tea, then put the cup down, leisurely and patiently getting to what she had to say, knowing she had her harebrained husband thoroughly distracted. "Cedric, my love - Last night, we two became as one. Part of you is now in me, and the opposite is also true for you. Does that answer whatever it is you're trying to question right now?"

He stared at her, wide-eyed, and slowly nodded. Silently overcome by a surge of emotion that seemed too big for him to contain in his heart, he felt the need to add a moment later, "Um - I love you! A lot. The most. I love you more than anything else in the world and my life is infinitely better with you in it..." He blurted out that last part in a bit of an embarrassed rush.

She smiled sweetly at him. "I love you, a lot, the most, too." She replied teasingly, reaching over and squeezing his hand in hers, before taking it back to resume her breakfast.

Cedric did the same, and they ate in a comfortable silence again, until Sofia finished her food and piped up, "To tell you the truth, though, dear - I didn't actually want to come to Paris just for the tourism..."

He looked up with a raised brow, "Oh?"

She shook her head, and reached up, touching the amulet. "I had a feeling... And now that I'm closer, I can feel it for sure. There's a princess here in Paris that needs our help. A kidnapped princess. She was captured from her homeland in India, and has been held here in Paris against her will for over a year. We need to save her and escort her safely back home."

Cedric blinked in surprise - Saving a kidnapped princess definitely sounded interesting, but also rather dangerous. The old version of him might have nervously tried to get out of such a task, but the new version of him, the version that had been forged just last night, smirked at her suggestion. "Alright - Save a kidnapped princess. Anything else on the agenda for today?"

"No, not today. And saving the princess will have to wait until tonight, when it gets dark, so that way we can sneak in undetected to get her..." Getting up, she cleared and cleaned her plate magically with her wand, then sauntered over to her husband's side, smiling devilishly. "In the meantime, while we wait for night to fall..." She leaned down and placed a slow, sensual, purposeful kiss to his cheek, which sent a jolt of energy traveling through Cedric's midsection as she whispered, "...Want to do it again~?" He didn't have to be told what 'it' was.

"Yes I do." Cedric replied immediately, turning his head into the kiss and abandoning the rest of his breakfast without care.

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When darkness finally fell, only a sliver of a crescent moon lit up the sky that night, making it almost perfect for the task ahead. Cedric and Sofia had both dressed in dark robes to further camouflage themselves, and then on top of that they used magic to create a mirror-like shroud to go around their bodies once they came near the property, where Sofia claimed the princess was being held.

It was where you would expect a princess to be held - An expansive mansion with fine sculptures and topiaries adorning the property, which made for plenty of spaces to hide behind. Obviously these kidnappers were much like royalty themselves, at least as far as how much wealth and privilege they had.

"Looks like they're leaving now..." Cedric whispered to his wife as they hid behind some trees, waiting as a finely-dressed couple and their young daughter, all of them dressed in white, shuffled into a pure white carriage carried by white horses, presumably off to attend an opera or a fancy party.

Sofia narrowed her eyes in disgust as she watched them go, "It's one thing to be wealthy, but these people abuse their wealth to exploit others for their own amusement. It's wrong and I won't stand for it!"

Cedric squeezed her shoulder in support, "How did this poor princess come to be here?" He asked. "And where are they hiding her? It will be harder to get her out if her room is on the top levels or in the basement..."

Distracted, Sofia didn't answer him right away, and instead nudged for him to follow her as the rich couple finally rode away, and she saw her chance to steal away onto their property. Bypassing the gate, Sofia led her husband into the back-yard, much to his confusion.

"Why are were in the back yard? They wouldn't keep a princess out here, would they-AH!" Cedric suddenly forgot what he was pondering completely and let out a short, frightened shout as they turned around a corner of hedges, and found themselves face-to-face with, of all things, a great, white tiger.

Sofia quickly clamped her hand over his mouth. "Cedric, be quiet! THAT is the Princess!"

"B-B-But...!" Cedric mumbled back in shock, peeling her hand away from his mouth. "Sofia! That's a T-T-TIGER-!"

"She's the -Tiger Princess-, Cedric." Sofia corrected him patiently.

"O-Oh, I see..." Cedric calmed down a bit, finally accepting all the weirdness. He then glanced back over at the tiger, who was standing next to a construction rather like an extra-big and extra-fancy dog-house. It was very ornate, but it was still incredibly insensitive considering the regal creature it was so meagerly housing. On a placard over the pet-house, a childish hand had written the word, 'GOWRY'. "So, um, Princess 'Gowry', is it...?"

The tigress immediately snarled, offended by the presumption, which was clearly incorrect. "That is only what those heartless hunters told those greedy fools my name was! It's supposed to be 'GAURI', my people's word for 'white'! My REAL name is Rohana!"

Cedric quickly took a step back. He hadn't understood anything said in that snarl other than her offended tone, but Sofia kindly interpreted between them, "She says her real name is 'Rohana', not Gauri. Our deepest apologies for the confusion, Princess Rohana." She bowed politely to the tigress afterwards.

Rohana calmed down and nodded in understanding. "You are the one who has been hearing my prayers, and promised to answer them, aren't you?"

Sofia nodded and bowed again in deep respect. "I'm so sorry about everything you've been through, Rohana. We're going to get you home again soon."

"Sorry, there's just one thing I don't understand?" Cedric suddenly spoke up. "It's just... She's a TIGER? Why not just eat the captors and run away?"

Sofia and Rohana both gave him a glare for the ignorant presumption. Sighing, Sofia answered her husband, "She's not from here, remember? If she tried to run away she would have gotten lost in the city and caused a panic, and then it would have just been a matter of time before the police found her and shot her. Plus, that's assuming she's the kind of person who would want to kill another living being. Just because she's a wild animal doesn't mean she's uncivilized, Cedric."

Rohana nudged her head against Sofia's hand. "I'm not a saint either. I've given much thought to tearing apart that awful woman in white, who calls herself the 'lady of the house'. She was very cross when her vain, thoughtless husband bought me on a trip to India, and brought me back here. She has been taunting me constantly for his foolishness ever since. The only reason I haven't torn these chains and slaughtered her, is because I'm rather fond of her little one. She's a dear thing, she speaks kindly to me and sneaks me extra meat from the house. I wouldn't want to tear her apart from her mother, the way my children were torn from me, no matter how horrid that old white witch is..."

"I'm so sorry, Princess Rohana!" Sofia fretted over her, petting her head and ears to show her support. "You've got such a noble heart, choosing to be kinder than those who have mistreated you! We'll find your children and reunite you with them! I promise!"

The tigress purred and rubbed her large, furry head back against Sofia's hands. "I'm just glad my little ones got away from those horrible hunters who came for me so suddenly. They wanted me more because of my white fur, so I distracted them. My daughters are both orange like their father, so the hunters were not as interested in them. How I long to see my dear Kumari and Rajani again..."

"You will see them again." Sofia solemnly swore, and after that, she took out her wand. "We just need to find a way to get you out of here undetected. And I think I know the perfect way..."

Rohana quirked her head at the wand. "What is that?" She asked, not quite trusting it. The sorcerers from her land shook gourds and staffs to make their magic.

"It's what I use to make magic." Sofia explained. "We simply can't get you out of here, looking as you are. We'll need to disguise you as something of a similar size, but more normal-looking... You wouldn't object to being a pony for a little while, would you?"

"I have no quarrels with the Pony Race." Rohana answered neutrally. "Provided no one tries to ride me. That, I'm sure, I would object to..."

"Of course no one would do such a thing." Sofia assured her, although Cedric wasn't as happy to hear that. After all, when else would he possibly get the chance to ride a pony that was actually a tiger? Oh well, just another life aspiration that was never meant to be - Part of being an adult was accepting such disappointments gracefully.

Wasting no more time, Sofia waved her wand over the white tigress, whispering, "Equum Transmutare!"

Immediately after saying the magic words, the form of the tigress morphed into that of a white mare, a shorter but muscular breed to aptly hide the creature's build. Sofia then used magic to disappear the chain around Rohana's neck, and motioned for her to follow as she led the Tiger Princess off of the estate.

They were as careful as they could be not to get caught by anyone, and although they nearly managed to steal away undetected, they were spotted at the very last second by, of all people, a newly-hired young butler. Not knowing that they weren't guests, the young man, who was trying his hardest to be friendly and helpful to everyone, stopped them and asked, "Oh - Does the lady desire a late night pony ride? If you would but please give me a moment, I'll fetch the two of you a bridle?"

Sweating, Cedric and Sofia waved him off. "Oh, that won't be necessary, but thank you!" Sofia answered, trying to hide her nervousness with politeness.

The young butler blinked in confusion, "I beg your pardon, milady, but you simply can't ride a horse without a bridle! If you'll just wait a moment, I'll procure you one post-haste, and you can ride this beast-"

Suddenly the 'pony' trotted up to the oblivious young butler and let out an ear-splitting roar, right in his face. The young man was so taken aback that he fell back onto his buttocks, staring with wide eyes and an open mouth.

Cedric cleared his throat as Sofia promptly ushered the riled white 'pony' away. "Ahem. As you can see, my good man, we won't be needing any bridles. Run along now~" He advised the hapless help-staff, and then took his own advice himself, joining Sofia as they escaped from the property and made their way out of the city.

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As soon as they picked up Clover and Frost-Eye, Sofia and Cedric made quick work of getting out of Paris. Once they had gotten out of the capital, however, Cedric came across a very sudden and startling realization.

"Sofia... India is really, really far away."

"A very astute observation, my dear husband!" Sofia replied with a beaming smile. "The most direct route possible by land, because Rohana will not agree to any boats, would have to be through at least seven countries to get to India - Germany, Poland, Ukraine, Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran and Pakistan. Half the journey will be a simple matter of boarding trains and coaches here and there, and walking or flying on our brooms over uninhabited zones. But once we get to Islamic territory, it will be safest if I hid myself with a hijab, depending on how conservative the area seems to be, and you disguise yourself with magic to resemble a local man. Also we'll change Rohana into a black horse. Once we're far enough into India that we can reach Prince Zandar and be under his protection, it should be safe to go back to our usual appearances."

He agreed, and they set off on their journey. They did as much sightseeing as they could along the way, but they didn't stop for anything that wasn't already on the way. They were dedicated to their mission, and determined to complete it as soon as possible. After all, any length of time was too long to be away from your loved ones.

When in populated areas, they disguised Rohana as a pony, but they made sure to let her go off and hunt in the woods in her true form whenever it was reasonably safe to do so. They'd fly overhead to monitor her and make sure no hapless humans were anywhere in the distance, and also to take a break from walking once in a while. Not to mention, it was rather romantic, flying slowly, side-by-side on the same broom, holding your lover tight to make sure neither of you fell off and using your magic in harmony to keep the both of you afloat...

Once in a while they were able to take shelter at another hidden magical kingdom along the way. Each king of the province would send word to Roland to make sure Sofia was safe as soon as she arrived, as he and Miranda had requested.

After arriving at Princess Penelope's home in the country of Ukraine, Sofia received a letter from her family, written by Miranda.

In the guest chambers, Sofia read her mother's message aloud, "My dear daughter Sofia - It has been nearly a year since you left, and so many things have happened. I'll give you the best news first: You're now an aunt! Amber was barely with child when you left, you see, and has just delivered the most darling little blonde princess you've ever seen, just a few days before I sat down to pen this letter. Amber has named her little blessing Amelia, after her sweet mother who so tragically passed away when Amber was just a baby. According to Amber, 'Enchancia had better get used to the idea of another queen in it's future, because I am NEVER doing that again!' That's your silly, pampered sister for you. Her pregnancy wasn't even that difficult, but you know how Amber is when it comes to sharing!"

Sofia was smiling and shaking her head in amusement as she turned the page, "Oh boy, I can just imagine..." She remarked, but unfortunately, her smile soon fell as she began to read the next page. "I'm very sorry to have to tell you this too, but we have some tragic news as well... Vivian was also with child, but to our greatest sorrow, she fell ill a few months ago, and the baby was lost..." Sofia stopped then and had to hold her throat, which had become too tight to read. Cedric put an arm around her, and after composing herself, she began again, "Vivian was so sick we nearly lost her too, but thankfully she managed to recover from the ordeal, at least physically... However, her doctor has advised her not to try to have children again..."

"Poor James and Vivian! Sofia exclaimed, and she wept half the night in Cedric's arms. She was overjoyed for Amber, of course, but it was too sad to think that her darling brother and sister-in-law might never be parents, though they both clearly would be outstanding guardians...

After taking a short time to console herself, Sofia informed her husband that she was ready to move on again, and so they resumed their journey, moving into Russia. When they got to the border of Russia and Azerbaijan, Sofia procured a Muslim woman's garb for herself to wear and hide within. Although not every Muslim family is so conservative about their women, it was better to be safe than sorry when so far from home. After all, when in Rome, you do as the Romans do. And likewise, when in Azerbaijan, you do as the Azerbaijans do.

So she wrapped herself in a full-bodied black chador, wrapping it around her face too so that only her eyes showed, which she then used magic to turn brown. Cedric in turn dyed his white bangs to black, and darkened his moonlit-pale skin to a more natural tanned-brown. The disguises worked, and no one even blinked at them as they traveled through, thinking they were just another Muslim man and wife.

In more affluent towns and cities, there was usually a kind family with the means to offer them food and lodgings for a night, which they were always grateful to accept. In smaller and less well-to-do villages, they usually simply passed on through without bothering anyone. Sofia did, however, secretly spray any failing crops she came across with one of her magical plant solutions, encouraging them to grow fast and strong.

And of course, they didn't have to worry about any occasional bandits. If a stark white wolf with glowing blue eyes wasn't frightening enough to come across in the dark, a pony that roared like a tiger certainly did the trick. So even in the middle of the wilderness, and in bad territory to boot, Sofia and Cedric slept quite soundly.

They made good time through Iran, though they were distracted by much of the beautiful architecture, art and culture that the country had to offer, Rohana was getting impatient the closer she got to her real home. It was close enough now that she could smell and taste it in the air, so the tigress made sure to keep her escorts constantly pushing forwards.

But then to the deep worry of everyone in the party, Sofia abruptly started becoming ill just as they were nearing the border of Pakistan and India. A stomach flu, Cedric guessed, since she simply couldn't seem to keep a steady appetite at all. She insisted they soldier on through despite her weakness, and Cedric reluctantly agreed to this request. She would be safer and better taken care of if they could just make it to Prince Zandar's kingdom.

However, her illness persisted, and she got weaker and weaker as the days passed by. She tried to eat, but was unable to keep most of it down. Cedric felt fine, but he worried himself over his wife's misfortune until he was almost sick too.

Sofia stubbornly kept insisting she would be fine as soon as they got to Zandar's kingdom, but right after crossing the border into India, a short but still considerable distance away from Tangu, to everyone's panic, she collapsed. Her feet suddenly wobbled and then buckled underneath her, sending her slipping down to the ground.

Cedric choked on a gasp and nearly tripped over himself trying to come to her aid, not able to do so in time, to his guilt. Thankfully Rohana caught her instead, quickly jumping in front of Sofia and letting her fall onto her strong, soft back.

Rohana's purrs translated to Sofia as, "Climb onto my back, Lady Sofia. I will carry you the rest of the way."

Sofia tried to shake her head, "I would never dishonor you by making you carry me, Rohana..."

But the Tiger Princess insisted, "It is not a dishonor to do it for a friend. Especially one who has done so much for me already."

Cedric raised an eyebrow at the cute, kitten-like mewl the tigress directed at Sofia, before addressing his wife himself. "Sofia, let me carry you the rest of the way, you're too weak right now..."

Sofia smiled at her husband, and to his shock, she climbed onto the tiger's back instead. "No offense, dear, I don't doubt your strength, but Rohana offered first, and I can't resist the chance to ride a tiger disguised as a horse!"

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With Rohana's help they reached Tangu in good time, and as soon as she crossed into the kingdom, Prince Zandar and his newlywed bride Hildegard immediately ushered their old friend and her companions into their palace, and appointed their best royal physicians to tend to her.

Without the strain of traveling, Sofia was able to start bringing herself to eat small amounts of plain naan flatbreads here and there, and sip at water and juice. But the nuts and eggs that normally were her major source of protein were completely disagreeing with her stomach lately, and this imbalance in her nutrition was not leaving her feeling well at all.

After being tended to by a few experts, Sofia was given their medical opinion in private and she acknowledge it. "They say I should be extra careful continuing my journey..." She informed her husband and friends. "But I have to see this through, and bring Rohana and her children together again."

"Then we're going to help you." Zandar immediately offered, and his wife nodded curtly behind a prim fan.

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True to their word, Zandar and Hildegard, and their very best guards, personally escorted Sofia once she felt well enough to do so.

Rohana was extra glad to be back in her homeland, and even more so because with Zandar's forces to protect her, she could finally walk out in the open in her true form again. Tangu's Prince made sure to direct an evil eye at anyone who looked tempted by the sight of the rare and beautiful beast, a look that clearly stated without actually saying so aloud, 'Don't even THINK about trying it.'

When they arrived at the area where Rohana remembering being taken from, before letting her roam free, as much as everyone wanted to do, Zandar first sought out all the local tribes in the area. After speaking with several people, they discovered who exactly it was who had kidnapped the tiger princess, and sought them out. When they reached said village, they found that the tribe that was blamed for the deed owned one of the poorest villages they'd seen yet, and by far the the most barren crops. They had indulged with a few new fine new things with the money they had received for selling Rohana to the clueless tourist who had come bumbling through their lands a few years prior, but with how badly their crops had failed thereafter, it didn't mean much, and most of the things they bought had to be resold for money to buy food.

Now they were just as destitute as before they had sold the noble Rohana, whom they could not even bring themselves to look at, after the first glance of shock and shame. Zandar had the men who had captured her first-hand brought up, and he addressed them with contempt, "I cannot believe this. I cannot believe my own countrymen would do something like this, to any creature, but the noble Baagh? Our country's ancient protectors, you would cast them out for a few gold coins?!"

Zandar paused for an explanation, so the leader of the tribe finally spoke up to give him one, albeit hesitantly. "Raja, my shame knows no end, but please allow us to confess. It is no excuse, but we were destitute. Out elders and children were dying of starvation. When the rich foreigner offered us so much money for the tiger, we knew it was wrong, but were desperate... But we have learned now, it was more wrong than we knew... Bad karma only came upon us tenfold. Our crops, every last one of them, failed. Divine retribution, we were sure. All of our elders died anyways during this famine, to make sure our youngest were fed. Please Raja, let us, the men most responsible, take the punishment we deserve. Just please, let our women and children live..."

Zandar's anger softened with pity, and he took a step back, and looked back at the tigress. "I'm not going to kill anyone. I'm just here to speak with human tongue what the tiger you stole wishes she could say to you, and it is she who should decide how to judge you, not I."

The guards stepped back away from Rohana and the village men put their heads down in terrified acceptance of the fate they were sure would come. Rohana did growl and hiss for a moment, but she stayed sitting, and made no move to leap at them. Finally she turned her head away in disgust and growled once last time to Sofia, "It would bring me no pleasure to harm these pitiful humans any further than they have already harmed themselves..."

Sofia nodded in understanding, and petted her head proudly before stepping towards the men in her place. "She has very kindly decided to spare you just this once, because she can see you are truly remorseful. But if you EVER come near her again, she will certainly not extend such a kindness again."

"Thank you, tiger princess..." The men groveled, their faces to the dirt in repentance.

Sofia then bent down next to them, and tossed a bag full of seeds to the village leader. "Here. These seeds will grow for you, I am sure..."

"Thank you, thank you..." The men sobbed, their tears turning into mud in the dust.

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After leaving the village with a magical shower of much-needed rain, a slightly smaller party of Zandar, Sofia, Cedric and just a few of the best guards traveled forwards to where Rohana remembered last roaming with her family. Of course like everyone expected, they had moved from the area due to fear of hunters. They went on, but the terrain started to get a little rough. Zander tried to convince Sofia to let his strongest guard carry her back, but she refused. She would not go back until she saw the end of this journey.

After crossing a rather large hill, several days into their journey, Rohana stopped and stared as she looked down over the green and flowering slope. Three adult tigers, all orange in color, were resting at the bottom of the hill. As soon as they saw each other, Rohana bounded down the hill with sheer delight, and her daughters Kumari and Rajani, ran up after her joyously. Their very serious father stayed resting at the bottom of the hill. He had reluctantly looked after his still-young daughters while Rohana was away. Male tigers usually aren't known to do such a thing, and generally take no interest in raising children, but it was in his best interests to care for his young when the mother had so tragically disappeared.

Still, he showed no interest in any of them now that Rohana had apparently returned, and instead of greeting the whole family, he in fact turned his back on them and walked away, back into the jungle, by himself. Neither Rohana nor her cubs took offense to his actions, though. It was what any other male tiger would have done long ago, and Shere Khan was no exception, even if he was considered a prince among tigers.

The tigresses paid him no mind, and instead licked their mother and sister's faces, and rubbed their heads together, purring. Watching them happily from atop the hill, Zandar, Sofia and Cedric all felt their souls warmed by witnessing the reunion, like gentle candlelight glowing in their hearts.

Sofia reached down and took Cedric's hand in hers, blushing as she laid her head on his shoulder. "It's so wonderful to see her with her children again..." She squeezed his hand a little tighter, and whispered purposefully, "It'll be nice, to know what it's like to hold our own child like that, don't you think Cedric?"

He blinked as those words registered in his mind, and looked over at her in a mixture of confusion and dawning realization. "Wha-Wait, what...?"

She grinned and pressed his hand against her stomach, and leaned over to kiss his cheek. "Zandar's physicians told me a few weeks ago, but I wanted to wait until my promise to Rohana was fulfilled, and I was a little further along to tell you... I didn't expect it to happen so quickly, but well - I'm pregnant! We're going to have a baby!"

Cedric at first went completely still, but then he suddenly broke out into a grin and threw his arms around her. He couldn't bring himself to say anything right away. He let his thumping heart do the talking for him instead.

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Sofia didn't want anyone making a fuss about her, but she started getting weak ankles on the way back again, so Zandar and Cedric both absolutely insisted a guard carry her the rest of the way back to Tengu. And when she arrived there, she discovered that Roland, who had been mailed about her condition, had in turn sent a royal procession to come and collect her, and bring her back home in the absolute safest manner possible. This included not just knights to guard her physically, but every magician that could be spared had come too, including Winifred, Aunt Tilly, and Lucinda. The latter of which, Sofia was shocked to find, was sporting a rather rotund and obvious 'baby-bump' in her belly, at least seven or so months along compared to Sofia's barely three.

"Lucinda!" Sofia had exclaimed immediately upon seeing her. "You're-?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Lucinda grinned back at her. "One of the village witches hopped on the good foot and did the bad thing again, and now she's got a dumpling in the cauldron, as they say!"

"Are you sure the term you mean isn't, 'bun in the oven'?" Sofia piped up.

"Nope, for witches it's 'dumpling in the cauldron'." Tilly corrected her.

Lucinda went on, "Don't worry about me though, Sofia - My pregnancy has been super easy so far. I know a lot of women have weak appetites, like I heard you've been having, but I haven't been able to stop eating!"

"I'm so glad to hear that, Lucy!" Sofia finally hugged her after getting over the shock. "It's just - I didn't hear about you getting married...?"

"Pft! Ahaha~!" The still-good but not quite as 'little' witch laughed. "Well, Sofia, that's because I'm not married, and never will be! It's a family tradition, you see. I know I don't always follow family tradition, but this one I agree with. You see, the women in my family never get married. If a man wants to join our clan, he has to prove himself and then take our name, which most men are not willing to do, so that rarely happens. Otherwise the women in our family simply go out into the world and come back with a child whenever we feel like it. Most of us only do so once or maybe twice in our lives, but occasionally someone likes to have a whole gaggle of witches, like my famous Grand-Witch Ramona, who gave birth to twelve witches and one wizard. But my mother only had me, and I'm pretty sure this one will be my only one too~"

"Oh, I see!" Sofia nodded slowly in acceptance of her friend's particular ways. She personally could never see herself doing things in such a way, but she didn't think less of her friend for doing things differently.

Lucinda went on, patting her belly. "Yeah, we don't really take baby-making so seriously in my family! In fact, there's a betting pool going on right now, on whether this one will be a girl or a boy! Most of the time we get girls in my family, but every once in a great while a wizard pops up! Grand-Witch Ramona did some divination rituals over my belly, and she thinks I might be the first of my cousins to have a wizard. Almost everyone's still betting on a girl though, because she said Aunt Georgia might have a boy too and she just had my big, burly cousin Susan, so me and Granny stand to win a lot of cash if it turns out to be a boy after all!"

"So you think it'll be a boy that much, to bet on it?" Sofia inquired.

"No, not really! I don't mind what I have! Nobody is really going to make me pay if I'm wrong anyways." She shrugged, "What about you though? Are you hoping for one sex over the other?"

Sofia shook her head 'no'. "I just pray that they are healthy. Other than that, I don't care what they look like at all."

"Absolutely!" Lucinda agreed.

A little while later, when Sofia could manage to usher Lucinda away for a little privacy, she hesitated to ask, "I was just wondering, although you of course don't have to tell me anything... But, do you know, who -exactly- is the father of your child, Lucy?"

Lucinda grinned. "Yes I know -exactly- who he is. But, no offense Sofia, it's also tradition in my family not to 'kiss and tell'..."

Sofia blushed and bowed her head in acceptance, "I see! No offense taken at all, I wish you only the very best!"

"Likewise!" Lucinda chirped, gathering her friend into a hug. Sofia hugged her big-bellied friend back, and to both their surprise, Lucy's baby gave both of them a little kick. They blushed and laughed about it afterwards.

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Concerned for her old friend, Hildegard packed Sofia plenty of naan bread, jams and juices for the trip back. That and potatoes were the only thing Sofia could usually stand to eat. The eggs she normally had at least every other breakfast were still completely disagreeing with her appetite, leaving her weak from lack of protein. Her faithful friend Clover stayed closed by her side to comfort her, still the softest and most cuddly bunny in the land. He rested on her bosom, and she in turn was resting her head on Cedric's lap, who was petting her hair idly as she tried to doze on a mostly empty stomach. Even though the coachmen were trying their best to fly as gently as possible, Sofia was still having some motion sickness, and unfortunately even the naan she could normally stand hadn't stayed down for her.

She sighed as a rumble from her stomach woke her up again. Now that she'd finally completed her promise to rescue Rohana, she was no longer driven by that sense of purpose, and the exhaustion of both her recent past efforts and her current ones hit her rather suddenly and rather hard.

"How are you feeling, my love?" Cedric inquired softly as he saw her eyes flutter open, and heard and felt her poor, still only slightly-rounded belly grumble. "Shall I get you anything?"

"No, stay." She bid him. "I was just thinking about things..."

"Yes?"

"Well..." She sighed, her eyes looking a little guilty for some reason, which confused him. She explained, "I meant to stay abroad a little longer, and help others. I left the rest of my stock of seeds with Prince Zandar to disperse to whoever else needed them, but still... It usually takes a while for people to conceive, I didn't expect it to happen so soon. Of course I'm beyond delighted that I'm going to be a mother, but I feel a little guilty too, that my carelessness caused us to have to abandon our quest earlier than I would have liked..."

"I'm sorry, my love." Cedric replied, bending down and kissing her, which caused Clover to promptly hop away. "But, you've done enough for the world, Sofia... The whole world doesn't need you right now. I need you right now, and our baby needs you... To us, you -are- the whole world..." Sofia's eyes got misty right away when Cedric pulled back, his eyes also burdened with emotion. "So you need to start taking extra-good care of yourself now, okay? For us? And I promise I'll do everything I can to make sure you and our baby stays safe and healthy. As far as I'm concerned, while you're getting better, I'm not the royal sorcerer anymore. I'm your personal nurse and care-giver!"

Sofia bubbled up into a little laugh, but he directed a stern look back at her. "I mean it, Sofia. I'm serious. I know that you're devoted to the whole world, not just me or Enchancia. I accept that. But I'm not like that. I am completely devoted to you now. Not Enchancia or any of her monarchs, not anyone else in the whole wide world. Just you, and us..."

She smiled warmly at him, touched by his sincerity. "Thank you, Cedric. I never doubted your loyalty, ever..."

He kissed her again, then offered, "When we next land to rest the flying horses again, shall I make you some hot chocolate?"

Sofia rolled her eyes and smirked. "You want this baby to have a sweet tooth like you, don't you?" It did sound good though...

He smirked right back at her. "Well, eating some sweets is better than eating nothing at all, at least!"

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Winifred made sure to take good care of her daughter-in-law on the trip back, and when they finally arrived back in Enchancia, to Cedric and Sofia's pleasant surprise, they discovered that Sarah had returned shortly before they arrived home. And apparently, this time she was staying for good.

She explained as she showed them to Cedric's room, which she had tidied up in his absence. "The princesses cried so much when I told them I was going to live with all of you here in Enchancia. But I told them I'd write to them often. It's just, I've lived in Arendelle all my life, and at my age, if I didn't go out into the world soon, I'd probably never get the chance. I'll admit, Mister Baileywick is the main reason I decided to move..." Both she and her son both blushed as she mentioned this. "But also, Winifred wrote to me and mentioned that she and Goodwin wouldn't mind having a housekeeper from time to time, so between that and helping Baileywick around the castle, it seemed like there was no good reason not to go! Especially not since my handsome son and his beautiful bride will be giving me a darling grandchild soon too, ohoho~!"

"Mother..." Cedric blushed, mildly scolding her for the teasing tone in her voice. But really, he was only too glad for her. Baileywick was a far better man than most, so he knew without needing any reassurance that she would be safe and loved with him. He also knew that even aged sorcerers like his parents could use magic to clean easily if they wanted to, and the offer for Sarah to be their housekeeper was more an extended invitation into the family than a matter of employment.

In the meantime, though, Sarah was completely dedicated to Sofia and making sure she and the baby stayed as comfortable as possible. Of course, Sofia asked that no on make a fuss over her, but naturally, that's exactly what everyone did. Baileywick and several other staff members filled her room with flowers, and had told her at least a hundred times to call right away if she needed absolutely anything at all.

Sofia tried not to impose, but she was a lot weaker than usual, so she had to have her meals (what few she could stand to eat) brought to her bed for at least a week, and was constantly sleeping in-between then. Cedric tried his best to cook up some anti-nausea potions, but unfortunately Sofia couldn't stomach even those.

Thankfully, however, a few weeks of misery, Sofia began to feel just well enough to take short walks around the castle, and join her family at dinner. Although she simply sat there and enjoyed their company without eating, until she could bring it to her room later, just in case her stomach should suddenly betray her. No reason for everyone else to lose their appetites too, after all.

A few days after Sofia's return from her bedridden state, the family was sitting down for a meal of lemony baked fish with sea salt and coarse cracked pepper, all except Sofia, who was nibbling on plain toast. When the plates were laid before everyone and the lids removed, Roland immediately quirked an eye as he saw his plate. "Um - Baileywick? It's really not that big of a deal, but I was just wondering - Is there a new chef on the kitchen staff?"

Baileywick paused to consider it, "I believe a small handful of extra help were hired in the last few years due to the increased occupancy of the castle, your majesty. Is anything wrong?"

"It's really not a big deal at all." Roland insisted, "It's just, I know it's usually considered rather 'rustic' or 'common' for a king, but I've always preferred my fish to be served whole, without the heads removed. I know it's a common practice in other kingdoms for the staff to eat the fish heads instead of the royalty, so I'm not mad. Just be sure to tell our newcomers that, here in Enchancia, everyone can have a whole fish to themselves, and the king finds the rustic taste of fish heads and fish eyes to be quite enjoyable!"

Baileywick nodded and bowed. "I'll be sure to let them know, your majesty."

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Once Sofia felt well enough to entertain visitors in her room for small periods of time, in between long naps and nibbles of food, her brother James and Vivian stopped by, as well as Jade, Ruby, and Lucy, who by then was looking close to enormous.

Sofia couldn't help but remark as soon as she saw her, "Are you sure you're not having twins, Lucinda?"

Her witch-friend laughed. "I'm pretty sure it's just one big one, but I wouldn't be surprised!"

"How have you been feeling, Sofia?" Vivian inquired, fluffing her pillow for her.

Sofia gently held her hand for a moment before answering, "I'm sure I've never been better. How about all of you?"

"Well I'm great!" Ruby suddenly exclaimed, holding out her hand for Sofia to see. Upon her ring finger, an impressively sizable heirloom ruby sat next to two white diamonds on golden band. "Khalid proposed! Yours truly is going to be the princess of Khaldune!"

"That's amazing, Ruby!" Sofia replied, beaming a smile for her.

"Yeah," Jade agreed with a grin, "At least one of us managed it! I mean, I -could- have married Prince Hugo, if I hadn't decided to break it off instead. But I think that was for the better. He was an okay enough guy, just not for me." She shrugged amicably enough. "Bigger and better things are ahead though! James and Vivian came up with a great idea lately, and me and Lucinda are going to work with them to see it through."

"Oh?" Sofia blinked and looked over at her brother and sister-in-law. "What's the idea?"

"Well," James spoke up, "Since Vivian got 'the news', we've been talking, and we've decided that we can either mourn forever, or move past the plans than can never be, and make new plans..."

Vivian squeezed his hand and resumed for him, "We were so inspired by how you saved that tiger and brought her back home, Sofia, that we knew we needed to do something selfless like that for others too. There are so many children out in the world who need a good home, and although we cannot possibly help them all, there's no good reason not to try to help as many as we can..."

Jade took over for her then, and carried on a bit sadly, "Luckily for me, Mrs. Hanshaw took me in when my father died... But a lot of kids in the position I was in, end up in orphanges, dangerously employed, or on the streets instead. Some orphanages are run right, but some of them are managed by terrible people who would exploit their own children for profit."

"So that's why we've decided!" James concluded, "We're going on a tour around the country, visiting all the orphanages we can find. We'll be looking for children to adopt, but also, if we suspect any abuse is going on at all, we'll either alert the proper authorities, or we'll solve the problem ourselves using magic if that option fails. I'm sure any abusive case workers would be all too ready to abandon their charges if they were to suddenly find themselves haunted by ghosts or something like that, wouldn't you say, Sofia?"

She giggled and nodded. "I think this is a great idea, you guys! I'm really proud of you all for making this decision. So when are you going to leave?"

"As soon as we can, honestly." Vivian answered with a small shrug. "Why wait? I mean, there is Lucinda, but since she feels so well, she's said she's fine with traveling."

"Oh yeah." Lucinda nodded, "I'm more than fine with it - I could really use the exercise, with how much I've been eating!"

"Just be careful, Lucy." Sofia implored of her friend.

The witchy woman bent over and kissed Sofia's brow. "Of course, Sofia! You just worry about yourself, and we'll all see each other and introduce our little ones to another real soon!"

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At the end of that month, everyone got together for a picnic out by the beach, to see James and Vivian and their crew off before their mission, which was set to commence in just a few more days. Sarah and Baileywick and gotten together in the kitchen, along with Gizmo Gwen and her father, and had created a spectacular picnic basket with just about everything that could possibly be wanted for a picnic - Pickled vegetables, mixed green salads, potato salad, an orange, grape and grapefruit salad, sweet rolls, savory rolls, chicken drumsticks, leg of lamb, barbecued pork ribs, boiled eggs, biscuits, and crackers with a Greek olive tapenade with figs, mint and honey to top them.

As Baileywick was taking out the food for everyone to enjoy, he suddenly gave pause, "Huh. Now that's odd..."

"What's odd, dear?" Sarah inquired.

"Well, I could have sworn I backed precisely a dozen chicken legs for the picnic today. But now there's only eleven...?"

Sarah chuckled and patted his shoulder, "I'm sure your either your eyes or your memory are playing tricks on you, my dear. Are those glasses old?"

"Not that old!" He protested.

"Well then perhaps one of the dogs got in and sneaked away with it. It's no worry either way, we have plenty."

He shrugged and let it pass, "I suppose so..."

A short while later, Miranda passed the bowl of boiled eggs over to Cedric, with a smile to her 'son-in-law'. "Eggs, Cedric?"

He took the bowl, but handed them to Sofia instead. "Thanks, but no, thanks. I can eat them sometimes, but to be honest, I've never been especially fond of eggs..."

Sofia quickly handed the bowl over to Julian instead as her stomach turned.

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It was late one night when Sofia suddenly got up and left the bed. Cedric still had his old chambers and she sometimes slept there with him, but other times she dozed off in her own much softer bed, in her old room, and Cedric sometimes joined her there late at night or just fell asleep in his own. Tonight he had crashed at her work-table after reading too late, so the only one who noticed Sofia leave tonight was her faithful old friend, Clover.

At first the old bunny didn't pay her much mind. She often got up in the middle of the night to relieve her bladder, something she did much more lately than she used to. But when she didn't come back after a few minutes as she normally did, Clover got curious and decided to go after her.

Hopping through the almost entirely empty castle, Clover eventually found a light source shining under the door to the kitchen. Pushing the door ajar, he hopped in to find Sofia kneeling in front of the ice box, with the door open. She had something in her hands, but when Clover quietly called to her, "Sofia?" She quickly tried to hide it back in the back of the ice box.

The old rabbit quirked a brow at her. "...Sofia, what was that?" He inquired curiously. Why on earth was she being so secretive...?

"N-Nothing!" She quickly denied, but shame was painted all over her face, so obviously it wasn't really 'nothing', and Clover had already seen the chicken leg bone that she'd nearly picked clean anyways.

"...Sofia. Listen." The rabbit began again after a moment, rolling his eyes. "We're best friends. We have been for a long time. Even though we're completely different species, and we sometimes do or don't do things the other finds to be odd..."

Sofia was starting to sweat as Clover kept speaking the way he was. She couldn't hide her guilt, and she knew he had to know already, so she finally confessed to him in a sob, "Oh, alright! I admit it - It was ME! I did it, I'm the thief! I ate father's fish head, and the chicken leg!"

She sobbed into her hands, guilt-stricken, and Clover continued to shake his head at his friend's ridiculous antics, reminding himself that it was the pregnancy hormones that was making her act so silly. "Sofia, calm down already. I'm not mad at you. But I do think we should talk about this..."

She looked up through her teary eyes, and nodded solemnly. "I know, it's terrible of me - When I realized that the Amulet of Avalor had given me the power to talk to animals, I vowed never to eat meat again. But when I saw father's fish in the kitchen before dinner that day... Oh, I don't know why, but it looked SO good! It was like those gross-looking dead fish eyes were telling me, 'Eat me'! And before I knew it, I had picked it clean!"

"Sofia, seriously, calm down." Clover repeated patiently. "I'm not judging you for eating the meat. In fact, if anything, I'm more worried about you trying to fool yourself like you've been doing lately. I never said anything before because you always found ways around the issue without compromising your nutrition, but you know you're not a rabbit, Sof..."

She stubbornly looked aside. "I know... But I've always been able to substitute the meat for the eggs that the chickens gave me! I don't understand why it's not working anymore..."

"I think you kind of do know." Clover added, eyeing her seriously. "Remember when you told Cedric, that a part of you was in him and vice-versa? Well, maybe you didn't realize how true that was yourself? That's -Cedric's- baby in you, Sofia, and Cedric doesn't like eggs. Cedric likes to eat meat sometimes, so it makes sense that his baby would too. You never blamed or judged him for it, just like you never blamed any other animal that needs to eat meat - So why are you blaming yourself?"

"You know why, Clover." She insisted. "How can I talk to animals and try to help them, then turn around and eat them?"

Clover wrinkled his nose at her. "Well obviously no one is expecting you to eat the meat in front of your animal friends. That would be kind of rude, of course. But no one is expecting you not to eat what you need to, either. Like, to be be completely honest? Do you know why those chickens have always been so cool about letting humans take their eggs? Because you humans will trade better food for them. You know those chickens might have otherwise eaten the eggs themselves, right?"

"What-?!" Sofia gasped, scandalized.

"Yeah, chickens eat their own eggs sometimes!" Clover insisted. "I think it's gross, of course, but hey, I'm not a chicken. To each their own! So really, Sofia - Stop doing all this silly sneaking around. Eat what you need to, and what you want to. You need to do it, for your baby."

Sofia looked down and nodded slowly. "Thanks, Clover. But, I promise I'll still never eat a rabbit-!"

Clover rolled his eyes once again. "Duh, Sofia. I already knew that. Chill out already."

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The next morning, Cedric came down from his workshop to visit Sofia and check to see how she was doing. She was still in bed when he got to her room, her angelic face relaxed in sleep. He bent down and kissed her cheek, and was about to leave thereafter, until Sofia suddenly grasped his sleeve. "Mm, Cedric..." She murmured.

He smiled and knelt down next to her, resting his head next to hers on the mattress. "How do you feel today, my dear?"

"Hungry." She admitted quite candidly. "But I don't want to get out of bed..."

He was just glad to hear that she had an appetite today, so he quickly offered, "I'll fetch it for you. What do you want to eat?"

"...Bacon." She replied after a short, hesitant pause.

"Bacon?" He repeated immediately, utterly confused by the request. Cedric couldn't remember her ever eating meat, to the best of his knowledge. "I never knew you liked bacon...?"

"I want bacon." She confirmed simply and seriously. "Lots of bacon."

His lips curled into a smile. "Well, alright... But how do you like your bacon cooked? I've never seen you eat it, so I have no idea."

"...Crispy." She replied after thinking on it for a short moment. "My dad used to make it sometimes when I was little... His bacon was always extra crispy and crunchy, and snapped like a twig..."

Cedric nodded and kissed her forehead as he got up. "One plate of bacon, coming up~ I suppose you'll want some potatoes and toast too? I'll be right back with it."

She quickly grabbed his sleeve before he walked away. "One more thing?" He looked down at her, questioningly, as she shyly added, "Um - That picnic from yesterday, wasn't there some of those ribs left over...?"

He stopped to think about it for a second. "Um, yes?"

"...Could you bring me those too?"

Now he was grinning. "Right away, my love~"

When Cedric got back with the foodstuffs his wife had requested of him, she tucked into them right away, plucking up the first piece of bacon at the top of the pile with a strange sort of gleam in her eyes. She snapped half of it off with her teeth right away, and then closed her eyes in rapture as the fatty flavor swept over her taste buds. Fried in butter, the salty, greasy goodness was a more than welcome change to the plain toast and potatoes she'd been getting by on over the months, although she still ate those too, but only after every bit of bacon and rib meat had been picked clean.

Cedric couldn't help himself, he openly stared at his wife as she practically inhaled her food. Sofia had never been shy or dainty about eating, but she'd never eaten anything with this much gusto before either. And after having been so worried about her appetite for months, it was only all-too relieving to see her really dig into a meal again. She even licked the barbecue sauce and bacon grease off of her fingers before sighing in relief and leaning back against her pillow.

Then she blinked as she suddenly noticed his staring. "...Is there something on my face...?"

She had, in fact, almost enough barbecue sauce on her lips to pass off as lipstick. Instead of answering verbally though, Cedric simply reached over with a handkerchief and wiped it away. She blushed, but then smiled in appreciation.

Then she yawned. "Oh my goodness... I know I just woke up, but all that food has made me sleepy again~"

Cedric kissed her forehead, encouraging her to lay back down. "You should rest then, my love."

She smiled lazily and nodded, his eyes slipping shut as he softly stroked her hair.

That evening, Sofia felt well-rested enough to join her family for dinner, although she barely bothered getting dressed for it. The only reason, in fact, that she showed up at all, was because she had overheard one of the servants saying that there would a great, big butter-and-brown-sugar-glazed ham, and she hoped to get an end piece, with all that buttery sugared goodness cooked to a toffee candy-like consistency.

As soon as she arrived, she sat next to Cedric, who had arrived early to make a plate for her. To her delight, she saw that he had gotten her one of the coveted end pieces, and a few extra slices of the juicy inner portions of ham too.

Both Roland and Miranda stared outright as she sat down and immediately took a bite out of her treasured toffee-ham, her eyes closing in rapture as she crunched and munched.

"Sofia?" Her mother finally blinked, "Is everything okay? I haven't seen you eat meat since you were a little girl...?"

Sofia shrugged shyly mid-munch. "Well, I've been craving it lately..."

"Ohoho~!" Sarah waved the queen's concerns away, overjoyed to see her food be eaten so heartily, and piled two extra slices of ham on her daughter-in-law's plate. "Let her be, Miranda - She's a growing girl, after all!"

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Most of the rest of Sofia's pregnancy went much more smoothly after that, much to everyone's relief. Cedric was extra relieved to find that, although he had been nothing but a perfectly patient gentleman when Sofia hadn't been feeling well, with her appetite for food finally sated, her appetite for other things had returned too, and stronger than ever...

But! Sofia's nerves did start setting in again towards the end of her pregnancy, and the poor dear developed a backache that nagged at her terribly, and left her mostly bed-ridden again. Everyone did their best to accomodate her, and she did her best to be patient with them despite the pain, but every once and again she would find herself saying something a bit snippy, and promptly thereafter would become a crying, apologizing mess.

Around the time that was expected, Sofia suddenly woke up one early morning in the midst of strong, pulsing pains through her back, abdomen and thighs. She shook her husband awake, who in the last few months had been sleeping by her side every night in anticipation of this, and threw the covers off of herself. "Cedric, get my mother..."

When her words and actions registered, he immediately shot up out of bed, barely taking the time to throw his robe on for modesty (he was currently shirtless) before running out the door shouting, "MIRANDA-! Queen Miranda!" He amended quickly, even though she HAD told him before that he could just call her 'Miranda' now.

Within minutes the staff had all the needed materials assembled, and the royal physicians, as well as Miranda and Sarah, came into assist Sofia during the birth. As was considered proper, Cedric waited outside of her room with King Roland and his parents, Goodwin and Winifred, who had arrived as soon as Winifred felt her son's highly elevated stress levels, via their magical protective bond.

"It'll be alright, Cedric." Winifred soothed her son, but that was when Sofia's barely muffled noises of pain began. She somehow kept herself from screaming outright, but it was obvious that it was taking everything she had in her not to - And soon enough, she wasn't able to keep herself from the screams anymore at all.

Cedric kept his face in his hands, head down, looking at his feet. Goodwin and Winifred both kept a steady hand on his shoulders while they waited. All of a sudden, Sofia let out the loudest scream of all, gasped, and then went silent. Hearing that, Cedric looked up, and saw a flash of purple light come from under the doorway.

Panic shot through him, and he got up without any more care for what was proper, opened the door and demanded, "Is she okay?!"

His mother Sarah was on her knees on the floor, looking awe-struck. Miranda was rubbing a little bundle in a soft square of cloth, grinning at it. The royal physicians were just stepping away from Sofia, who much like Sarah were also looking rather amazed and confused.

One of them approached Cedric as the others finished tending to Sofia, "I... I'm not entirely sure what just happened, but it looks like everything is okay. It was starting to look a little scary for a second, she was losing a little too much blood - But then her amulet started glowing, and... I just don't know. It's a miracle, that's all I can say!"

Cedric nodded numbly, and then side-stepped the other doctors as they shuffled out of the room, after supplying the princess with fresh, clean bedding. Whatever had been wrong previously, Sofia was apparently completely fine now, holding out her arms to her mother as her mother handed her now-clean child to her. The sorcerer gulped nervously, and then walked towards her bedside too.

Miranda directed her grin at him before stepping back, so he could join Sofia. "Congratulations, you two. She's beautiful!"

"Sh-She..." Cedric mumbled after her, his eyes locking on to the child.

What a strange feeling. There was no one in the world that Cedric loved as much as Sofia, no one even came close except for his mother. And even with those two, that love had taken a good deal of time. But this tiny little one, this bundle of beauty that was no bigger than a magical wort-root, he loved her as much as he had ever managed to love anyone, in a single instant...

"That's a she alright~" Sarah affirmed, handing him a cool, wet cloth to give to Sofia. "Although she looks a lot more like her father, I think~" She grinned, nudging him.

She was right, for the most part. Her hair was mostly black like his, but with some stark white locks in front. She had a pointed little nose that was sure to grow pointier when she got bigger, and her skin was more like Cedric's paler shade than Sofia's slightly tan, although that might change later. Her eyes were blue like Sofia's, but those might also still change to brown later.

"She's... Perfect." He managed to choke out.

Sofia held the baby up to him to trade for the cloth. His eyes went wide and his stalled just a secondly, before gingerly taking his daughter into his arms, cradling her as carefully as if she were the most expensive Faberge egg in the castle.

And then suddenly, with no warning at all, the warmest flood of tears he'd ever felt spilled over his eyelids and down his cheeks. He had to turn his face away to avoid letting them fall on the child, and he hugged her as tight as he dared to as the tears freely flowed. "She's so, so perfect..."

"She protected me..." Sofia answered queerly, in a slightly faraway voice. "She's going to be a very talented sorceress someday, I can tell..."

"What-?" Cedric mouthed back at her, looking up. "But... That light, you're saying, that wasn't the amulet? That it was her?"

She smiled bashfully. "Well, it was also the amulet, but I'm pretty sure it was mostly her..."

"Amazing..." He breathed back, then handed the child to her again. He didn't quite trust himself with her yet. Then he heard the door click, and he turned around to realize that Miranda and Sarah had left them alone for a few moments, and closed the door behind them.

Cedric sighed softly. "So... Did you still want at least two?" He half-jokingly inquired, adding, "I mean, since she is so perfect, you know - Might not want to tempt fate?"

She shook her head right away. "Nonsense. I still definitely want at least two, but hopefully three or four!" She reminded him insistently.

"What-Really...?" He cocked his head back at her in equal parts confusion and disbelief. "Sofia, it just makes me worry, you know..."

"I understand completely, dear." She nodded patiently, "But I'm certain that is what I want..."

"How can you be so sure..." He sighed, finally defeated.

She gazed down at the child in her arms, who blinked up at her mother with unfocused blue eyes. "I just look at her, and I know..."

Cedric's lips smiled against his will, and he stroked the baby's head as his little one yawned. "Alright, good reason..." Sofia was right - She still needed a brother, or sister... Or maybe two or three...

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What do you name perfection? It was a dilemma that kept Cedric and Sofia's firstborn nameless for almost a week as the debated all kinds of lovely names - But finally they decided that Kendra was the perfect name for her. Cedric had liked it right away because the name meant "magical", which certainly suited their little sorceress.

The name really stuck, however, when they went to give the baby her first bath, during which she screamed at first, then, when she realized the water would not kill her, began giggle and coo, and even splash a little. The second meaning of the name, "Water baby" certainly seemed too perfect after that, and Sofia's second favorite choice, "Alexandra", became Kendra's middle name.

A few months after Kendra Alexandra's birth, James and his entourage returned, and to everyone's delight, they had doubled their numbers. Lucinda's baby had been born, and was indeed a boy as predicted, although he looked almost exactly like his mother with his dark hair and pale skin. Almost exactly, but his beautiful olive-green eyes were also flecked with a bit of golden amber brown.

When Sofia had asked her friend what she'd named her magical boy, Lucinda had replied with a great big grin, "What else do you name someone so beautiful? Art! It's normally short for 'Arthur', but he's just 'Art'! Because he's my little work of Art, get it?" Sofia then grinned too, and agreed that it was perfect.

In tow with James and Vivian, a once lonely couple had been replaced with a full family, including a set of three dark-haired children - The oldest was a boy of about twelve years of age, followed by a girl that seemed about eight or nine. She was holding hands with a male toddler, four at most, who was also holding Vivian's hand.

They all seemed quiet and shy like Vivian, in start contrast with the bright red-haired, six-or-seven-year-old girl that was holding James' hand, and gasping loudly at everything she saw, "Oh my good gracious! It's even more beautiful than I thought it would be-!"

James laughingly picked her up and brought her right up to her new new grandfather, who bowed properly and proudly before the new princess, before taking her into his arms. James grinned at his father, informing him, "This is soon to be the Princess Regan~ We found her in Ireland."

"That explains those flaming red locks of hair!" Roland laughed, ruffling the laughing girl's curls.

Vivian motioned to the much quieter three by her side, "And these are the Bellarose children, who we found in Italy, although they originally came from France. The oldest is Gregorie, his sister is Claire, and their little baby brother is Jean."

Miranda held her arms out to the dark, quiet little children. "Welcome! We're all very happy to have you come live with us!"

Gregorie bowed and Claire gave her a polite curtsy as well, before the oldest brother informed her, "We're all very honored to be here too, ma'am. Please forgive us if we seem reserved, though. We've been through many misfortunes, and although we're very hopeful that we have finally found our forever homes with you, we're also wary that we might bring you bad luck, as we seem to attract it. Our youngest brother has been left a mute, in fact, after all we've seen at his poor tender age. Please, if things suddenly start going badly, it's probably us, and for everyone's safety, you should probably throw us out..."

Miranda's mouth went agape with shock for a second, unsure how to respond to that at first, but thankfully Claire spoke up in her stead, nudging her brother, "But we ARE hopeful! I've got a really good feeling about this one, this time..."

Gregorie nodded solemnly, and bowed in apology to Miranda. "Yes, please forgive me. My sister Claire here has the uncanny ability to sense when we are in danger and how much or how imminent, and to be frank, she's never had 'good feelings' or 'felt safe' around people before, like she always has with James and Vivian... So although I'm still worried, I'm trying to be hopeful..."

His sister snuggled her head against Vivian's shoulder, who leaned her head back against the child's. "But I -do- feel very hopeful this time, brother... And, Vivian does look so much like our mother..."

Vivian hugged her and kissed her head, and Miranda reached out gingerly and placed her hand simply on Gregorie's shoulder. The Queen looked into the young boy's much older eyes, and promised him, "You -will- be safe here..."

Gregorie's eyes filled with tears, for the first time since his parent's funeral. Closing them shut, he bowed his head in deep gratitude.

Vivian reached over across Claire's back and patted the back of his shoulder too. "Come children - How does a warm bath and supper sound?"

The three quiet children smiled in appreciation, while Regan hollered, "Ooh! Can I have pudding? Please!"

James picked her up and sat her down on his shoulder. "That's the spirit! Jiggly-wiggly pudding for everyone!"

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Only a little over a year after Kendra started their family, Cedric was waiting with her outside of the delivery room to meet her first sibling. Sofia's second pregnancy had been so much easier than the first, that she actually wasn't sure she was pregnant at all until about the fifth month, when the baby finally started kicking. In complete contrast to Kendra's pregnancy, there was no change in her appetite at all, and the aches and pains were much less severe.

Cedric was just glad for all that, and deep down he didn't care what sex the second child was, but he couldn't deny, part of him really hoped for a boy. A boy and a girl, that was the ideal family in his mind, since that was how his family had been when he was growing up. But when the child finally came and Sarah stepped out to fetch him, he wasn't sorry at all to hear her proclaim, "You've got another beautiful daughter!"

Smiling, he stepped inside with his firstborn and brought her over to her mother, who was cradling her newborn sister. The newest addition to their family had all-dark hair, brown eyes (Kendra's had remained clear blue) and a pointy nose.

"Ohoho~!" Sarah snickered, poking her son on the shoulder playfully. "I think this one takes after me!"

There was no denying it. Little Erika Emile, as they decided to call the headstrong baby girl, looked exactly like her paternal grandmother, and she inherited all of her father's theatrics. Whilst Kendra was an affectionate child, she was also quiet - Erika, on the other hand, was often absurdly easy to get jealous of her sister. If someone held Kendra, she wanted to be held by that person too, even if she had just snubbed them a moment before, and she wasn't afraid to get loud about it.

When Kendra was an only child, Sofia occasionally used to let her play with and wear the Amulet of Avalor. But as soon as Erika was old enough to grab for things, she was constantly trying to steal the amulet from her sister. Sofia thought that she had solved the problem when she decided to put the amulet back on its old silver and amethyst necklace, so that way one girl could get to play with the amulet, and the other could play with the strand of sister-pearls.

But Erika refused to be satisfied unless she had both the amulet and the pearls, which left the girls constantly squabbling over them. Kendra might be nice enough to just let her sister have both sometimes, but no three-year-old is a saint, and she would eventually get indignant and try to take one or the other back from her sister, who would then scream at the top of her lungs as she played keep-away.

Cedric sighed over one such screaming match one day, placing his hands on his hips and giving his girls disapproving stares. "It seems we have a dilemma..." He then crossed his arms over his chest. "I do hope we don't have some kind of sibling struggle for power brewing here..."

Sofia tutted in disapproval herself, reaching down and tugging both the pearl strand and the amulet away from Erika's hands, who screamed thereafter. Sofia tucked them away in her pocket and chided her, "Hush now! I won't have my daughters fighting over anything! If you can't learn to share, I'll simply keep it to myself, and that's that."

Kendra's bottom lip wobbled, but she didn't cry. Erika, on the other hand, screamed her head off. Cedric and Sofia were both somewhat hesitant to discipline their sweet babies, but Erika could push Cedric's nerves and his sensitive ears with her screaming sometimes. Gathering her into his arms, he gave her an extra stern glare. "That is -enough-, Erika."

As always, when her father gave her that 'I'm really mad at you this time'-look, her screams of indignation turned into sorrowful sobs, and she would then cry on his shoulder piteously until he rubbed her back to show that all was forgiven.

"Besides," He added, taking out the Family Wand and showing it to Erika. "I suppose if we don't end up having any magical sons, this will have to go to you..."

Erika took the thorny wand into her hands, looking unimpressed with it at first. However, after suddenly flicking it and exploding a nearby vase with the resulting burst of blue magic, it seemed like a much more interesting toy after that. But then, Cedric very abruptly decided that perhaps a powerful magical amplifier wasn't the best plaything for a boisterous young witch after all, and took it back.

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Sarah and Baileywick had originally hoped for a smaller wedding like Sofia, but like her, they had amassed so many friends, it was just about impossible not to at least include a small crowd. Plus the king had insisted on sparing no expense for his oldest and most faithful friend, and had planned for a day full of all the same finery that any other spectacular royal event would get.

Leaving by the door-frame, Sofia held Kendra's hand with one hand and held up Clover against her bosom with the other. Kendra was too mild and shy to be looked upon by large crowds and not get self-conscious, so it had been decided that Erika would be her grandmother's 'Flower Girl' instead, and she was currently being outfitted with a dress covered in pink, purple and periwinkle hydrangea blooms.

"Ohoho~! Look at you, my dear!" Sarah exclaimed as she came out of the closet, donning a simple but elegant white dress, with modest long sleeves, even though it was currently Spring. "You look just like a little fairy!"

"More like an imp." Her father quipped, and Winifred, who was helping Sarah prepare, flicked his ear. He smirked as he rubbed the barely-sore spot, "Oh I was only joking! A fairy-imp, then." He amended, picking up his youngest and kissing her cheek. "I expect you'll be more of a fairy than an imp for the wedding?"

Erika put a pout on her nearly identical three-year-old face, and nodded reluctantly. She hated when her parents insisted on 'Best behavior', but she knew that there was always a reward in store if she put up with the request for a little while.

Baileywick looked very handsome in his smart new suit, as he patiently waited for his suddenly shy bride, who followed after her boisterous granddaughter, throwing flower petals all around and over everyone. After that Erika managed not to fiddle too much at the alter as they got through the boring vows, and then Baileywick gave his blushing bride a charmingly modest kiss, self-conscious as he was in front of the crowd.

A simple but beautiful white wedding cake with vanilla frosting was served that night, and of course the two very tidy people did not smash the cake in their faces - Instead they did the very opposite of that, wiping the corner of each other's mouth with the handkerchiefs they had given each other years ago.

A bit later, Winifred interrupted to steal Cedric away from Sofia for a dance, and the former princess headed over to her table, where she had left Clover a little earlier with some blueberries to munch on. But when she got back, she realized that, contrary to Clover's usual self, he'd only eaten a few of the berries, and left most of the others on his plate.

"Clover? Are you okay?" She asked, knowing right away in her heart that something was wrong. Blueberries were one of Clover's favorites.

Slowly he glanced up and sniffed at her, "Hey Sofia... Do you think we could go somewhere to talk, alone?"

Nodding, she gathered her old friend up into her arms, and carried him away with her back to her room, where she laid him down by the windowsill. "Clover...?" She murmured apprehensively.

The old, old rabbit sighed, "Sofia... I'm not long for this world anymore..."

Immediately tears sprung to her eyes. She had been dreading that he might say this for a while, and she hated to know she was finally right.

He forged on, "Cedric's magic should have run out a long time ago, to be honest, but I've been playing it safe, so I could stretch it as far as possible... I wanted to see you grow up, and see your beautiful kids. I'm glad I got to do that..."

"Don't talk like that Clover..." She insisted through a thick throat. "Maybe, I could use Life Transference Magic on you myself-"

"NO." The ancient bunny sternly cut her off, without a single bit of hesitation. "Don't you even -think- about it, Sofia. You need to live every second you've got to the fullest, for your children... Especially the one to come."

She blinked in confusion. "What...?"

He smiled at her, crawling onto her lap and sniffling at her stomach. "This one. She's still new, but she's definitely on her way. She's gonna need some help to get here, though. She's weak right now, and she might not make it without a little boost from her good old Uncle Clover... I'd like to give the rest of this magic to her, Sofia. It would have only lasted me a few more weeks at most anyways..."

Mixed feelings clashed inside of Sofia. Of course she wanted to protect the new daughter she just realized was inside of her, but to watch her friend sacrifice himself to do it? She wasn't sure she could bear to do that... "Surely there's got to be another way...?"

Clover sighed once again, trying to be patient with her. He didn't want to have to admit the whole truth, but it seemed he had no choice. "Sofia, please understand... I'm very grateful to have been blessed with such an especially long life. I've gotten to see more than probably any other rabbit ever has! I've stood right next to a wolf and a tiger, and I didn't get eaten! I'm pretty sure no other rabbit in history can say that!"

Despite the tears, she choked out a laugh at his little joke, and he went on, "But... I've lived long enough now, Sof. I'm just plain too old now girl, and I don't mean just physically. I mean mentally and spiritually too. You've got to understand... All my brothers and sisters have been dead for years." He finally admitted, and her eyes went wide with realization. "Just last month, my oldest son died too... I don't want to outlive any more of my children, Sofia. Especially if there's something I can do to help one of yours too."

Futilely fighting back tears, Sofia laid a hand over her mid-section. "Is... Is she really in so much danger...?"

Clover looked up at her sadly. "I'm sorry, Princess... I don't think she'll survive unless I do this for her. But, if I do, I'm pretty sure she'll be okay... I'm not sure if I can fix everything, but I'll try to do as much as I can... So, please, Sofia..." He gently but firmly implored. "Let me do this one last thing for you, my oldest and very best friend, and then leave on my own terms..."

Unable to speak anymore, Sofia finally nodded, just once.

With a peaceful sigh, Clover leaned up against her stomach, and his form began to glow soft lavender, with notes of baby blue. Gently stroking his fur, Sofia forced herself to croak out, "G-Goodbye...!" Just before she felt the magic leave him and travel into her own body. Then Clover's eyes slipped shut, as if asleep.

Holding him to her, she cried quiet, heavy tears.

A short while later, Cedric came looking for her, accompanied by Winifred and Miranda, with whom he had been discussing some plans for the next royal celebration. Approaching her room, they heard her soft weeping from outside the door, and hushed their own conversations as they peeked in.

When Cedric saw the sight inside, his heart immediately sank for his wife. To be completely honest, he had been expecting that ancient rabbit to die for so long, it actually managed to come as a bit of a shock that he finally had. Of course Cedric realized how deeply this hurt his wife, who like he had been with Wormwood, had been with her pet since childhood. Leaving his mother and the queen to look on from the door, Cedric slowly strolled over to his wife, and sat next to her. "I'm sorry, Sofia..."

Suddenly she looked up at him, with a strangely strong sense of hope brewing inside of her. "...I'm not." She confessed thickly. "He lived the fullest life a rabbit ever lived...!"

"Oh Sofia..." Miranda sighed, coming over to sit by Sofia other side, and rubbing her daughter's back. "You're very right about that... So why don't you come with me to the gardens, and pick some flowers to honor his memory?"

Sofia nodded and they did just that, gathering white lilies and roses. While Winifred held the old rabbit, Cedric once again dug a moonlit grave, just as he had so many years ago, and then when he had finished, Sofia took her old friend from Winifred and softly kissed his forehead.

"...Goodbye, Clover. Old friend..." She murmured, and then place his body down into the bed of dirt with the flowers she had picked, and one last radish and carrot. There was simply too much to say, to be able to say anymore than that.

Using his wand to cover the rabbit with earth, Cedric then put his arms around his wife in support. At the same time, Frost-Eye had just approached the small crowd, alerted to their strange moods and the strange smell of new decay accompanying them. Sniffing more as he got closer, and around the dirt they'd just disturbed, it suddenly dawned on him, and he looked back at Sofia and Cedric sadly.

Coming to stand next to them in solidarity, the pale old pup let out a long howl of loss for his friend and mentor.

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Sofia was somber for a little while, but eventually her daughter's pep managed to get her spirits back up, and she once again smiled freely.

A few months later, in early Summertime, a letter arrived at the castle from Paris, addressed to 'The Goodwin Family'. The letter was first given to Cedric, who upon realizing who it was from, let out one of the longest, loudest groans Sofia had ever heard come from him. And that was saying something.

"Cedric? What on Earth is it, dear?" She asked, rubbing her newest 'baby-bump'.

The sorcerer again let out one more small sigh of suffering before showing Sofia the name of the sender. She read it aloud, "Cecilia the Splendiferous...?"

"It's my SISTER..." Cedric went on, slapping his forehead theatrically in frustration. "Oh, what could she possibly want...?"

"Well, read her letter and find out!" Sofia replied, in a rather 'duh' sort of way.

Grunting in displeasure, Cedric obeyed her and finally opened the envelope, pulling out it's contents and beginning to read, "Ahem... Dear Family. It is I, your darling Cecilia the Splendiferous, and I have both good and terrible news for you all. The terrible news is that my poor beloved Mr. Two-Claws has just recently passed away. Now I know you're all as devastated as I am to hear this-"

Cedric abruptly cut away from the letter, snorting into somewhat morbid, but truly amused laughter. Sofia's mouth dropped and she smacked her husband on the shoulder, but he continued to laugh even as she scolded him, "Cedric! That's a horrible thing to find funny!"

He calmed himself after that, wiping a tear from the corner of one eye. "I'm sorry, Sofia, it's not that I'm insensitive to my sister losing her pet - It's just hilarious that she worded it that way. I'm not devastated at all, because that cat hated me and was a complete pain in my arse!"

Sofia gave him a pinch for that. "Watch the language! Are you going to read the rest or do I have to-?" She began to reach for the paper.

Which he held back, "I'll read it, I'll read it! Ahem - 'Blah blah, devastated to hear it, pft, life goes on and I'm sure he's with the other kitty angels in kitty-cat heaven-PFFFT! AHAHAHAHA!"

This time Sofia succeeded in snatching the paper from him, and this time Cedric let her because by then he knew he would be incapable of reading the rest - He wouldn't be able to stop laughing at it. Sofia gave him a mild glare until he again calmed down, then began to read, "I'm sure he's with the other kitty angels in kitty-cat heaven, especially because to my surprise, he selflessly saved a pretty raven bird he found before he died, instead of eating her as he very easily could have. Now, it is a very pretty raven bird, but I don't want a raven bird, I want another cat. No other animal is magical enough to fill that void for me! But I figured I'd take a little time to come visit my family and Enchancia Castle again before I banish myself to the bliss of cat companionship for another couple of decades or so, and if Cedric wants to he can keep this raven bird, or I can find someone else to give it to. Until then, I can't wait to see everyone again - Especially you daddy-kins, and mumsy too. And of course I can't wait to finally meet this famous Sofia I've heard so much about! Lord only knows how poor awkward Cedric managed to-" Sofia abruptly cut away from that part of the letter as Cedric began to look sour. "Well, see you soon, so long for now, toodle-loo - Sincerely, Everyone's Favorite Darling Sorceress, Cecilia the Splendiferous!"

Folding away the letter, Sofia pouted at her husband, "I think this sister of yours sounds very nice!"

"Yes, well," Cedric pouted right back at her, "In theory a lot of things sound nice, but in practice it's an entirely different thing!"

Delighted to hear their oldest child would be coming back for a visit, Goodwin and Winifred stayed at the castle in preparation of her arrival. Using magic, they cleaned the castle even more than it already was, until it was so perfectly clean that it actually sparkled, and adorned the walls with bright pink and yellow flowers.

Then the big day finally came, and everyone waited in front as Cecilia, in incredibly fair woman who despite being at least fifty years old, only looked like a twenty-something, with golden blonde hair in ringlets and bright blue eyes, pulled up in a dainty and ornate carriage, shaped like a blooming pink lotus and led by a single white horse.

"My, what a fine steed, Cecilia my dear!" Goodwin immediately began praising her as soon as she rode up, holding his arms up to help her down from the carriage. "But, you're not going around by floating bubble anymore?"

"Oh well I do still love the bubblies, daddy dearest!" She immediately corrected him, "But you see the Prince of Sweden gave this dear filly to me as a thank you present for saving him and his wife from a rogue ogre and delivering their firstborn, and I just couldn't turn him or her down - Look at that precious long face! I call her Sunshine-Daisy! Ahaha~! So, I decided to get along by a flower-carriage for a while!"

Goodwin beamed at her and patted her hand. "Oh, it's perfect my dear! Yes it suits you completely!"

"Ugh..." Cedric scoffed under his breath, rolling his eyes.

Which caused his sister to finally take notice of him, "Oh Ceddykins! My dear baby brother, how have you been~!"

He froze up as she suddenly tapped up to him in those impossibly delicate-looking crystal slippers she was wearing, her petal-pink dress swishing around, and threw her arms around him, squeezing him so hard it was apparently making it difficult for him to breathe. "You have NO idea how much I've missed you, dear brother~..."

"Oh, I have an idea..." Cedric replied gruffly, trying to pry her arms off of him, but without much success until she willingly let go and went to give his wife a hug instead.

"Now look at you!" She exclaimed, kissing both of Sofia's cheeks. "What a pretty thing you are! My dear, I simply cannot deny my curiosity though - What on EARTH did my brother DO to deserve such a catch?"

Cedric gave his sister a light glare, but then raised an eyebrow at Sofia, genuinely interested in what she might answer with. Smiling serenely, the former princess looked the older witch right in the eyes as she replied, "Forgive me if I'm about to be a bit too frank, Cecilia - But anyone who really knows Cedric, knows that there's plenty to love about him! So all he really had to -do- to deserve me, was be himself!"

Cecilia blinked in surprise, taken aback into a short pause before bursting into an amused giggle. "Oh Sofia! What a delightfully charming answer! Why you're just a perfect angel, aren't you? I suppose complete opposites must sometimes attract after all!"

Goodwin laughed with her, and Sofia gave her a patient giggle. Cedric and Winifred both kept a tight lip until Cecilia spoke up again, "Oh, by the way-" She let out a whistle and snapped her finger twice, and out of the flower-carriage, a beautiful purple-tinted black raven bird flew out of it, landing on her waiting wrist. "We've still got to figure out what to do with this other pretty thing~ Cedric, you'll take her, won't you?"

Cedric raised a brow at the raven, tempted. "Oh - I would, but I've already got a new pet, and he's more than a handful by himself... Sofia? Perhaps you would like to keep her?"

Taking in a breath, Sofia considered it a moment before she answered, "I'm certain we -shall- take this lovely bird in - But to be honest, I'm not sure I'm ready yet to call another animal my 'Pet'. But Kendra had been asking a few weeks ago for a pet, remember darling?"

"Oh yes, that works." Cedric nodded, then glanced behind him at his little 'princesses', who were waiting patiently in Kendra's case, and patiently 'enough' in Erika's. "Kendra, Erika - Come over and meet your Aunt Cecilia."

They stepped up, and their aunt's mouth fell. "Oh my goodness! Cedric! You mean to tell me you have CHILDREN too?!"

Cedric groaned and rubbed his forehead, "Obviously... Now, Kendra, what do you think of having Aunt Cecilia's pretty raven bird as your new pet?"

Kendra looked up at the shiny purple bird with wide, wanting eyes. But then, her little sister Erika was doing the same thing, and she immediately piped up, "I want a pretty purple raven-birdy too!"

Cedric broke into a cold sweat. Two girls wanting the same thing, plus only one of those things being available, equaled a massive impending headache in his future... "Erika, we'll find you another pet soon-" He tried to offer, but the petulant toddler was immediately inflamed by it.

"I want THAT purple raven-birdy! THAT one!" She insisted, pointing at the creature.

Cedric started to bristle up himself, getting annoyed with his soon-to-be-no-longer-youngest for making a scene in front of his judgmental father and sister, and was about to scold her for it when suddenly, with a loud 'caw!', the raven bird in question launched itself off of Cecilia's wrist, and flew right towards Erika's pointing finger.

The little girl was shocked and scared by the advancing bird, but she froze instead of making a fuss as the creature landed on her wrist, and cawed in her face. Sofia heard, "You want me, little girl? Fine! But give me something to eat!"

Erika blinked in surprise at the bird, who did not peck her as she had expected it to for a second, and then broke out into a large, excited grin, and giggled, "Hi birdy!"

So the potentially disastrous situation diffused, and Kendra kindly piped up to her parents,"Let Erika have the bird, they like each other. I can get another pet soon, right?"

Sofia smiled gratefully down at her patient firstborn, "Of course, Kendra. You can have any pet you want."

"Well look at that!" Cecilia laughed at her nieces, "Now that's what I call a match made in heaven!"

Erika ran over to her aunt excitedly with the bird to properly thank her for it - She was that pleased with her, to actually volunteer her thanks. "I love her, Aunt Cecilia! I'm going to name her 'Wisteria'! And, is that an AX in your carriage?" She asked, pointing to a rather strange artifact that was propped up in the carriage, a staff with metal blades in the shape of a bow, and a crystal flower in the middle. Very much like it's owner and her little niece, it was ridiculously cute and terrifying at the same time.

"It's actually my magic staff, dear!" Her pretty blonde auntie corrected her excitedly. "Wands are fine, you see, but if you really want to command and intimidate as a sorceress, you speak softly and carry a big staff, as I like to say!"

"Tell me more, Aunt Cecilia!" Erika clapped in excitement, much to her father's displeasure, and the bird, who Cedric couldn't help but think looked rather familiar, landed on her shoulder and looked back at him with those peering black eyes...

While Erika went off with Cecilia and Goodwin, Cedric and Sofia stayed behind with Winifred, and began to chat about boring adult things for a while. In the meantime, Kendra's attention had been taken away completely by a little ball of fluff bounding behind some bushes in the nearby woods, and followed after it. It was a pretty little bunny rabbit, she quickly came to find, with tan, brown and grey fur all mixed together.

Kendra grinned widely at the cute furry creature, "Hi bunny~!" Reaching into her pocket she pulled out a few leftover strawberries from breakfast and held them out to him. "Want some, girl?"

The bunny stopped and looked back at her, "Hey, get it right - I'm a boy bunny! You can't just assume a bunny is a girl because they're cute, you know - We're all cute! Luckily for you, I really like strawberries..."

Hopping over, the rabbit began to chew at one of the strawberries in her hand. "Wanna come home with me?" Kendra asked him innocently.

The fluffy creature cocked his head as he considered it. "What, back to the palace? Yeah, that sounds alright! You know, I heard my Grandpa Clover lived here! So I assume any of my brothers and sisters are welcome to come too if they want, right?"

It was all sniffs and chirps on Kendra's ear, but she and everyone else were only too delighted to find an additional -twenty- rabbits, about half of them white and grey, and the other half in various colors, waiting on the palace steps the next morning.

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Cedric wasn't quite as much of a nervous wreck as he waited outside the delivery room a few months later, but by no means was he whistling a tune, either. Kendra and Erika were waiting on either side of him, holding his arms and kicking their feet without much care. He wished he could be as naive as they were about all this...

Still, things seemed to be progressing as normally as they had with Erika, which was mostly a relief, until the baby was actually finally born. Shortly after, Cedric heard Sofia inquiring worriedly from her room, "W-What, what's the matter? Doctor...?"

Immediately a shot of panic went through Cedric's stomach, and he got up, and tapped on the closed door. "Is everything alright in there?"

"Cedric..." He heard Sarah call back from the other side of the door, but she didn't open it for him just yet. "Give it a minute, love. Everything will be fine..."

He really wasn't sure he liked the wording of that, but he listened and waited as best he could, until his mother finally opened the door for him and let him in a few minutes later.

The doctor was still holding their newly-wrapped newborn, which he handed to Sofia as soon as Cedric came in. Then he sighed, and bowed to the couple, "Sorcerers Goodwin, I'm afraid I have some bad news as well as good... The good news, is that your newest daughter is a beautiful, and almost completely healthy baby. However... I am sorry to say, but she is also completely blind..."

Cedric's eyes went wide, and he rushed over to the child. She was indeed lovely, and smiling despite the worried looks on her parents, which she clearly could not see anyways, with the milkiness at the center of her brown eyes. But as the doctor has also said, otherwise she seemed physically sound and well, in fact she seemed happier and more socially alert than both her sisters had been at birth, and her hair framed her perfectly angelic face with the prettiest brunette curls...

"I think she's perfectly well-born just as she is, don't you Cedric?" Sofia stated, lifting her smile from her newborn to her husband.

He let the worry fade from his face quickly enough when she asked that, and smiled back at her, just as full of love for the third as he'd been for the first and second. "Yes, I think so too, dear."

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Still in her traveling clothes, as she had rushed straight to the castle when called and immediately asked to see her niece's newest child upon arriving, the Duchess Matilda shut the door to the baby's nursery behind her a few moments later, with a deep, contemplative look on her face. Sofia was used to seeing her with a cheery and optimistic expression, even when things seemed like they were going completely wrong, so naturally this left her quite worried. She didn't look completely grim though, so Sofia ventured to ask her, "Aunt Tilly…? Is everything okay?"

Tilly at first looked hesitant, but then she smiled and put a supportive hand on her niece's shoulder. "Everything is -going- to be okay, Sofia. But I do have… Some news…" She mentioned slowly.

"Good news or bad news?" Sofia clarified.

"Well… Something like both? Come, lets sit down…"

Leading them to a nearby bench, Tilly sat beside Sofia, who was joined on the other side by Cedric, and began again, "Now… Sofia, I know you knew before I came that things cannot -always- be fixed by magic…"

Sofia sighed deeply and lowered her head, "I just really hoped–"

But Tilly cut her off there, "Well keep hoping! Because there is some interesting news as well. The thing is Sofia, I really -should- have been able to fix your daughter's eyes, but I really, truly couldn't…"

"That's good news?" Cedric raised an eyebrow at her.

"It's -interesting- news, Cedric. Because the reason why I wasn't able to, is because it was absolutely impossible for me to cast any spells on that girl at all… My magic, it was naturally repelled away from her, like oil and water…"

Realization started to dawn on Cedric, and his eyes slowly went wide. Sofia, however, was still confused, "I don't understand? Isn't that bad news? We'll never be able to heal her with magic when she gets hurt!"

"Yes, but Sofia… You'll probably never need to." Tilly suddenly smiled. "I trust Cedric just figured it out, since he knows how strong my magic really is and what it must mean if even I can't do anything... Sofia, I can't really explain it, but your daughter – And keep in mind she is a newborn infant – Has a powerful natural magical barrier around her person. No healing magic can get through, but neither can any hexes! To be honest, if this ability continues to strengthen as she gets older, well…"

Cedric looked away, blinking in shock. "She could be the strongest Barrier Witch in history…"

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End file.
